The Forgotten Legend
by crazycfm
Summary: A few hundred years after the events of Twilight Princess, in the remote Hylian village Graces, the next hero was born. Dictators have long overtaken Hyrule, removing the Hylian royal family from their throne. Now, it's up to this generation's Link and Zelda to take Hyrule back. But, there's a problem. How can Hyrule be expected to be saved if Link and Zelda don't get along?
1. Chapter 1

*Link's P.O.V.*

"...After he took over as dictator, he started to capture Hylians in attempt to wipe out..."

I sat in boredom while listening to the teacher. He was telling the story that even a small child could tell perfectly. I let a loud yawn escape. Unfortunately, that didn't go unnoticed. The teacher, Mr. Kira, looked directly at me.

"Well, Link, since the story seems to interest you so much, why don't you finish telling it?"

The rest of the class let out a small laugh.

I sighed. "EVERYONE knows it. Do I really need to repeat it?" I said with a smart-alec tone.

Mr. Kira walked to my desk. "Well, I'm going to make this clear. You should be very appreciative of our ancestors and the royal family. If it weren't for their bravery and wisdom to build this village on the edge of Hyrule Field and live in peace, the Hylian race would be extinct, and therefore, so would you. Now, try to be appreciative and listen to the lesson with NO interruptions." He walked away and continued.

I tried my best to look attentive, but in reality, I was thinking. The story Mr. Kira was telling us was true alright. A few hundred years ago, a man named Thwin overthrew the royal family of Hyrule. The king was killed, and the queen had escaped with the princess and two princes, along with a few knights, guards, a cook, and the three childrens' nurse. He ruled for a long time and his wife bore many sons. One of them was named heir, who was Rugo. Shortly after taking over, he ordered his guards to capture as many Hylians as they could. He was trying to wipe out the bloodline of the royal family and the so-called hero of time to keep the dictator bloodline flowing. Many people believe that he had accomplished this, but there were still a few believers who held on to the hope that the hero of time and royal family would return. Once the hylians heard, they all grouped together and fled from the mainland of Hyrule. Eventually, they settled in the area that is now known as the village of Graces. At first, a long time ago, it was hidden in a forest to stay hidden from Rugo, but eventually over the years, it grew bigger and more in-sight due to usage of the forest. After a long while, Rugo had called off the search, thinking they had been long gone. After that, a few Hylians ventured out to live elsewhere, but the majority of them stayed in Graces. It's been like that ever since, with a few merchants in the village. The current dictator was a woman, and her name was Freja. She had no children...yet. Rumor was from the Hylian merchants is that she had become engaged.

Something that's different too is that in the stories, Castle Town was like how Graces is now. Now, Castle Town has tall metal buildings and is filled with Gerudo and humans. There is only a few left of the other races, like the Gorons and Zoras. All of the past dictators have been destroying their natural enviroment for their own purposes.

Someone tapped my shoulder. "Dude...you there? The bell rang like a minute ago."

I looked at my best friend, Will. He had a smirk strung across his face. It was obvious that he had been laughing at me.

"Yeah, I'm here. I was just lost in thoughts." I stood up and flipped my dirty blonde hair. I was so glad school was finally over.

"I bet you were thinking about HER." Will nudged me as we walked out the schoolhouse.

"And I bet I have absolutely no clue on what you're talking about." A scowl became my new facial expression. I had every clue on what he was talking about, but if I was even daring to think of her, it usually wasn't very nice.

"Whatever. So, whatcha doing later?"

"I have training." I was currently training to be a village proctector. Those were similar to castle guards. The only difference is we're protecting a village and not a castle. "What about you?"

"Nothing, really. Just hanging out with Tara."

"You should just ask her out already." I chuckled.

Will shook his head, his shaggy black hair shaking with it. "Nah, she's totally into Russel."

"Sure, if that's what you think. Anyway, see you later." I waved and turned to the direction of my house. I lived with my Aunt Olah, Uncle Paul, and cousin Dan. My parents were killed in a monster raid when I was about eight years old. Right now, I was seventeen. I barely remember them, but it's cool. They were in a better place.

I walked inside and set my stuff down. I heard Aunt Olah in the kitchen washing dishes. I walked over to the kitchen and looked in the cupboard for a quick snack.

"Hey, Link, how was your day?" Aunt Olah quickly glanced at me before going back to washing the dishes.

"Fine. I've got training in a little bit, so I might be home a little late."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know."

"Yep." I grabbed a banana and went to my room to rest a little before going to training. Before I left, Dan, my 13 year old cousin, ran up to me.

"Link, can I please come with you this time?"

I chuckled. "No, you have to be sixteen in order to be entered for training. You know this."

"I know, but can't I just watch?" He look at me with his brown eyes pleading.

"You know the captain doesn't allow that either." I rubbed his head. "When you're old enough to enter, then you can come." But he wouldn't be training with me. I walked outside and towards the training facility. I waved hello to a few friends on the way there.

About half-way there, I saw HER. She was the most annoying Hylian in the village. Me and her have always butted heads ever since we were kids. She always acted so two-faced, being stuck-up one moment and the nicest person the next. I couldn't STAND her.

Who is she?

Her name is Zelda, granddaughter of the village's mayor. Like most teens our age, her parents were killed in the monster raid. But that doesn't excuse from how she acts.

'It's quite funny how Will is always thinking I like her', I thought. 'I'd rather swallow a sword.'

She looked at me and gave me a glare. I glared right back at her before rolling my eyes and carried on my merry way. As soon as I had reached the training facility, she stood right in front of the entrance, giving me a death stare.

I walked up to her and stood in front of her. I was a good two and a half inches taller than her. With a forced polite tone, I said through clenched teeth, "Excuse me, but you are blocking my way."

"I know."

"...So please move."

Zelda shook her head in defiance.

I shrugged. "Fine", I snapped, not bothering to sound polite. With one arm, I pushed her out the way. She let out a yelp. I opened the door and walked in. Before I could close it, Zelda stopped it and pushed through. I sighed. "What in Nayru's name do you want?!"

"Believe me, if I didn't have to do this, I wouldn't." She lowered her voice to a whisper. "I need you to meet me at my house after you're done training."

I laughed. "No, you don't. Now, go away. I have important things to do." I tried forcing the door shut, but she resisted.

"I'm not kidding. It's also not my decision, it's my grandfather's. I suggest you do it." She turned away and left. I closed the door and sighed. Finally. I turned around to see everyone staring at me. The captain was giving me a questioning look.

"Sorry, that's not going to be an everyday thing," I apolgized and walked over to the weapon wall. I grabbed my wooden sword and sheild and made my way to the arena and began a training session. To me, training wasn't that hard. The captain had even said that I was a natural swordsman. The only challenge was the fact that I was the only left-handed swordsman training at the current moment. I had to start off with extra practice, training with an experienced left-handed village proctecor first, before doing actual training with the other right-handed students.

It was dark outside when training was over. I was the last to leave. I had also completely forgotten about Zelda's request. But, when I had walked out the door, she was waiting for me.

"Before you even ask, I'm making sure you don't bail out."

I suddenly remembered what she was talking about. I just gave her a look, ignored her, and walked away towards home. She grabbed my arm and spun me around. "I seriously wasn't kidding. You better come with me."

"You can't force me."

"Yes, I can."

"No, you can't. Now, if you will excuse me..." Before I finished my sentence, someone tackled me out of nowhere and pinned me to the ground. I got a glimpse of the person, who turned out to be Zelda's older brother, Tomas. He was a rather buff man; nobody in Graces dared to go up against him in a brawl. He had also recently finished training as a protector, which made him even more intimidating.

Tomas let out a low growl. "Are you going to do what she says?"

I struggled against him, but it was no use. So I wouldn't get pummeled in the face, I sighed and gave in. "Sure, whatever." He let me stand up. I followed them to their house reluctantly, wondering what could be so important that Zelda got her brother to attack me for. I also hoped that Aunt Olah and Uncle Paul wouldn't get too worried about me.

*Author's Note* Just to make it clear, Hyrule is not in a "futuristic" setting. It's still sort of medieval, like it's always been in the games. Castle Town is just a lot more urbanized and citified now. Oh yeah, and the females of the story are usually wearing pants instead of dresses. If you have any questions, post it in the comments. Also, give me some feedback. I want to know how I'm doing or if they're any plot holes. Gracias. :D


	2. Chapter 2

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

Tomas had pinned Link to the ground. I was so glad I had asked him to come with me, because I knew Link wouldn't listen to me.

Well, what had started this was my grandfather, who was the mayor of Graces, had told me that he had something important to talk to Link about and had asked me to bring him over tonight. Despite my objections, he persisted that I was to bring him over. Just the thought of having to talk to him sent my skin crawling. He was so...ugh. There's no words to describe how much I don't like him.

After Link finally agreed, Tomas let him up and I led the way to our house. It was the largest in the village, but that's only because Grandfather's family has always been the mayors of Graces, and therefore, richer. Anyway, we walked inside and headed straight for Grandfather's study. He was sitting there with his reading glasses on and was doing paperwork. A small candle was lit and it let off enough light just to barely see.

"Grandfather?" I spoke.

He looked up at me. "Ah, Zelda! You've returned. Did you do what I asked?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good." He smiled. Tomas pushed Link foward and left the room. I turned around and started to leave also, but Grandfather called me back.

"No, Zelda, this meeting includes you, too."

I sighed. "Okay." I sat down in a chair and waited foot Grandfather to speak. Link looked quite uncomfortable, as well as irritated. But, he also sat down too.

"You two are getting to that age where you need to be told about what happened to the royal family's bloodline, along with the hero of time's."

"Us two? Why just us two?" Link interrupted.

Grandfather sighed. "You will figure it out once I am done telling you. Now, this is the story of what happened to them. A long time ago, after Thwin's son, Rugo, had tried to capture Hylians in order to wipe out the royal family bloodline, most of the Hylians had fled towards the woods near a village that used to exist called Ordon. That village, way back before the time of the dictators, used to deliver gifts to the royal family of Hyrule. But the village didn't last for long after Thwin took over. He had kept using their resources, eventually driving them out."

"Anyway, the Hylians thought about moving deeper into the forest to stay hidden from Rugo, and they built a small village. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long, but they managed to stay hidden throughout Rugo's reign. They eventually moved to a new location right on the edge of Hyrule Field to establish a village, now known as Graces. We've lived here ever since."

He stopped for a moment to catch his breath.

"Now, even though we live in peace now, it wasn't always like that. Right after the old Hylians established the first village, there had been a long debate of whether Rugo was successful in trying to wipe out the royal family bloodline."

I spoke. "Grandfather, may I ask a question?"

He looked at me and gave a small sigh. He hated being interrupted. "Fine, what is it?"

"If they were having that much difficulty just trying to figure out what happened to them, why didn't they just check birth records? Wouldn't it be stated on there whether or not if they wete part of the royal family?"

"Back then, it wasn't as simple as checking a birth record. They had lost those when they ran away. But, however, they knew of another way to figure it out, but it would be difficult. Let's see, Zelda, I know you know the legend, but do you, Link?"

Link shrugged. "Depends on which legend you're talking about."

"I'm talking about the one where the young swordsman dressed in green triumphed over the great evil threatening to overrule the Sacred Realm."

Link gave Grandfather a nod. "Who doesn't know it? It's taught in school all the time. Though, there's never been names involved, and even though the teachers say it happened, I don't think it did."

I looked at Link. Did he just doubt the legend?

Grandfather sighed and shook his head. "You probably doubt many things, lad. That legend happened, alright, and plenty of times at that. Here is what I'm getting at. The Hylians used that legend to try and find the hero and the princess that are spoken of. Unfortunetly for them, it never worked. They wouldn't be able to figure out who would be able to take down the evil. But, today, that's coming to a change."

I raised an eyebrow. "You mean, someone found who they could be?"

"It wasn't found, Zelda. It was reborn into each new generation, one after the other. The only reason the Hylians couldn't find thr royal family was because they kept their identity hidden. They have lived among the hylians for the whole time the dictators have been ruling. This is only known because it's been passed down through the royal family itself!"

My facial expression turned to confused. "What are you getting at?'

"In the legend, Link, you said names were never told, right?"

Link nodded.

"Well, that's for a reason. False hope isn't needed here. We didn't want them to think that just because someone had the same name that they would return Hyrule to them."

"What do you mean by 'we'?"

Grandfather looked at me. Instead of answering my question, he continued. "Only two certain people are worthy to have those names spoken in the legend. Those two people are you two."

Suddenly, it clicked. "Wait...you mean...?"

"That's right, Zelda. Me, you, and Tomas are currently the remaining descendents of the Royal family, and Link here is a direct descendent of the Hero of Time himself."

Link jumped out of his chair. "You've confused me with someone else. I'm not descended from any hero, I'm just like everyone else, desceneded from the poor hylians that were kicked out from their homes a few hundred years ago."

"So was your ancestors at the time. As a matter of fact, they were the only ones who knew about the royal family. Even now, the story was passed on to your father and your aunt. Eventually, her son will be told, too. But you two are the only ones told about who you actually are."

"Well, how do you know it's me and not someone else, like...Dan, for instance?"

"Link, no one in your family has been left-handed and that well of a swordsman at the same time for a very long time. The hero of time was left handed and the best swordsman there could've been! Plus, you look exaxtly like him."

"Well, that doesn't mean anything! Whatever. This has been a waste of time." Link turned around and left.

I looked at Grandfather. "Is it really true?"

"Yes, Zelda. You are descended from the royal family and Link is descended from the hero of time."

"So...what do you mean by giving them false hope if we had their names?"

Grandfather coughed. "Well, in the legends, it's always Link and Princess Zelda who saved Hyrule from evil. A plan has been passed down through our family ever since they were kicked out all those years ago. That plan is about taking Hyrule back from the dictators let it belong to our family again. But, we've had to wait for the right people. Only two certain people could have the courage and wisdom to face them."

"And you think it's me and him?"

He nodded his head.

I hesitated. "But...how can you be so sure? How DO you know you haven't confused us with someone else?"

He shrugged. "I don't know for absolutely sure, but I've seen the characteristics in you BOTH. There are records of those people in the past that are extremely similar to yours and his."

I sighed. It made sense, but it also didn't at the same time. "I don't really know what to say...I guess I'll have to think on it. But, what about him? And does Tomas know these details?"

Grandfather took off his glasses. "Well, all I can say about Link is that Olah is going to have to discuss it with him. I would much rather be his father discussing it with him, but you know...anyway and Tomas doesn't know about you and Link though. He just knows that he's descended from the royal family and Link's family is descended from the hero of time."

"Oh. Okay. Well, I think I'm going to turn in. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Zelda. Sweet dreams."

I left his office and went to my bedroom. I found Tomas waiting outside my door.

"So...what do you think?"

I sighed. "I'm tired...can't it wait 'till morning?"

"Isn't it awesome that we're pretty much royalty?" He had the biggest smirk on his face.

"Don't let it get to your head, big guy." I laughed and walked into my room. He followed me in.

"No, get out. I want sleep."

"Okay, fine. We'll talk in the morning." He left the room. I closed my door and changed into pajamas, curled into my bed, and fell fast asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

*Link's P.O.V.*

I walked through the front door of my house. I hoped I could just sneak by without my aunt and uncle noticing. I didn't feel like answering questions, even though my lateness was perfectly excusable. It wasn't my fault, right?

Unfortunetatly, for me, both guardians were waiting for me as soon as I came in. Uncle Paul had an angry look on his face and Aunt Olah looked very worried.

"Um...I have an excusable explanation..." I mumbled.

"It better be excusable! Do you know how worried Olah is? Do you even know how late it is?" Uncle Paul shot the questions at me with great authority.

"Listen, I'm sorry, but it wasn't my fault I was late!"

"Wasn't your fault, huh?"

I sighed. Explaining this wasn't going to be easy. I remembered what the mayor said. Only the descendents of the hero of time and princess of destiny had those kinds of meetings, and that no one else knew about them. Uncle Paul doesn't know. Aunt Olah would, but that didn't make it easier.

"The mayor wanted to see me."

Aunt Olah stared at me, her worried expression turning to understanding. This didn't phase Uncle Paul, however.

"And what did the mayor want to speak to you about?"

I swallowed. "I...I can't tell you." Even though I don't believe what he had told me, I still respected him and his choice to only disclose what we discussed to certain people.

Uncle Paul narrowed his eyes. He didn't seem to believe me. Well, I couldn't lie to him and make it seem more believable.

"Hmph." Uncle Paul turned and left. I decided to do the same and headed to my room. Before I could do anything in there, though, I saw Aunt Olah standing in my doorway.

"Link...what did he talk to you about?"

I sighed and sat on my bed. "You already know."

She sat down beside me. "You don't sound excited about it."

"I don't particulary believe it, honestly."

"Why not?"

I shrugged. "How do they know this for a fact? How are they so sure? How come no one else knows?"

She smiled. "Well, it was written down in our family, actually. Starting with the hero of time himself, actually."

I gave her a curious look. "Do you have it?"

"Of course." She got up and left for a few moments. She returned with a thin book. When she opened it up, though, I realized it wasn't a book. It was a really long folded up piece of paper in a protective covering. She layed it down on the floor so it could open all the way.

"I'll let you look at it on your own." She turned around to leave.

"Aunt Olah?"

"Yes?" She looked at me.

"That's not all he talked to me about." I felt that I should tell her.

"Really? Carry on."

I took in a deep breath. "He said that I was the one that was going to take Hyrule back from the dictators."

She gasped. "He did? Do you know why?"

I shook my head. "The only thing he said was it's because I share HIS name and because I'm a very talented swordsman." I pointed at the long piece of paper that held our family's history. "It doesn't make sense. My father, grandfather, and so on so forth...they were all very talented swordsmen! So what exception does that make me?"

"Well...you're left-handed, you look just like him..."

"The mayor said the same things. He also said that because his granddaughter shares the same name as the princess of destiny while I share the hero of time's name at the same time."

"You mean Zelda?"

I nodded.

"Hmm...well, I can see how it doen't make sense to you. But it does to me, in a way. Well, I'm off to bed. I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

"Good night."

Aunt Olah left my room and closed the door behind her. The room went pitch black, since the hallway candles didn't bring light into my room. I blindly looked for my candle and some matches to light it with. When I did, I lay on the floor to investigate the paper.

It was a long family tree type thing with descriptions of each member. At the top was, of course, Link, the hero of time. It had an old pictograph of him with his name underneath. I really did look a lot like him. I had the same hair color, same eye color, and a similar facial structure. Beside him was a picture of a beautiful woman. She also had blonde hair and blue eyes. The name, though, was faded, so it was impossible to read. The description of her was also faded. I could only make out a few words, Hyrule and destiny being two of them. Below them were two people who obviously looked like their children. The names of their children were Liam and Sapphire. They had a shared description.

'Liam and Sapphire were born as twins, but seperated at birth. They didn't even know about eachother until they met at 16 years old. Sapphire lived with her father, and Liam had lived with his grandfather since their mother died shortly after childbirth. They both had to reseal Ganondorf into the Sacred Realm after he broke out. Soon after, Liam became the king of Hyrule and Sapphire stayed in Kakariko Village, where she grew up. They both died of natural causes.'

Beside Liam was a red-headed woman, and beside Sapphire was a dark-haired man. Both of them only had one child. The family tree was split from there all the way down. Eventually, there was a three way split, then a four way split. Most of my ancestors only had one child, apparantly.

I looked through all the names in Sapphire's family line until one stuck out in particular.

I had another ancestor named Link. He had the title of Hero of Twilight. He looked a little bit like the Hero of Time Link, but his hair was dark blonde instead of the light blonde the other had. His description said,

'Link was a farmer most of his life. There was one point in his time where he had to fight the king of the twilight realm, Zant, and defeat Ganondorf as well. He stayed in a small village named Ordon for the rest of his life with his wife and son.'

'Twilight realm?' I wondered. I wondered what that was. I made a mental note to go to the library tomorrow to find out. Then I saw them.

My parents.

Even though I had a few memories of them, it was very difficult to remember what they looked like. My father had light red hair with the same color eyes as mine, and my mother had the same light blonde hair as mine and light blue eyes. I smiled a small smile, even though their death was saddening. Their names were Matthew and Caroline. Beside them were Aunt Olah and Uncle Paul. My name was under my parents and Dan's under his. Our pictographs weren't yet, though.

From there, I decided to look down Liam's family line. All of the pictographs under his were all regal-like and split many ways until about three quarters of the way down. After that, they all looked like villagers.

'Is this when the dictators took over?' I wondered. The first one to look like a villager was a brunette woman whose name was Grace. She was very beautiful, and looked a lot like the mayor's daughter. Her lineage traced all the way up to a princess named Zelda who was the ruler at the same time of the hero of twilight's journey.

'Grace...I wonder if the village was named after her.'

Her lineage kept going down until I saw Tomas and his sister. This Grace was their great-great-great-grandmother.

BOOM!

"Link, get up! You've got school in a little bit!"

I woke up on the floor. Apparently, I had fallen asleep while looking at the family tree.

I quickly folded the long paper, changed out of what I had fell asleep in, and changed into fresh clothes. I ran my hand over my chin to see if I needed shave.

I didn't.

I grabbed my school things and made my way to the kitchen. Aunt Olah had just pulled some bacon and sausage off the fire stove and was setting it on the table. I fixed a glass of fresh milk and sat down, grabbing a piece of bacon. Dan was nibbling on some sausage.

I finished eating and started to leave. But Uncle Paulcalled me back.

I walked back and gave her a wondering look.

"Sit down for a second."

"Okay..." I did as I was told, wondering what this could be about. I heard Aunt Olah sigh. "Really, Paul, right now?"

"Yes. We need to tell him."

"But now? Can't it wait until tonight?"

I let out a small cough. Uncle Paul sighed. "We're telling him now."

He looked at me. "Well, Link, you could probably guess what this is about."

"Actually, I'm pretty clueless."

"Mhm. Anyway, well, you're turning 18 in a couple of months..."

Oh, no.

I DO know what this is about.

It's a Graces tradition for a man on his 18th birthday that he and his girlfriend announce to everyone that they are dating (because it's usually kept a secret from most people until then, only the parents and close friends know) and in most cases, they end up marrying after the youngest of the couple turns nineteen. But, if you're not dating anyone, it is greatly frowned upon and everyone judges the man and his family for a good while. So, usually, if the man isn't dating anyone, the parents or guardians arrange a marriage so the man will be forced to have a girlfriend for that occasion and they have to marry later.

I always thought it was a stupid tradition. Who wants to get married so early?

"Link, I want you to answer this question. Are you dating anyone and if so, who, and if not, who do you like?"

I gulped. I looked at the wooden clock and exclaimed, "Well, if you at the time! I should really be getting to school!" I started to stand up until Uncle Paul slammed his fist on the table. I sighed.

"This is not the time to be joking around! Answer the question!"

I took in a deep breath, knowing my answer was NOT going to get a good response. "No one and no one."

He seemed to struggle to not to shout. "What? Surely a man like you has some lassie?"

I shook my head.

He started to spit out random girls that were my age.

"Colleen? Amber? Tara? Lola? Zelda?"

"No, no, I think Will likes her, no, and Sweet Nayru no."

"Are you planning on finding a girl?"

I shrugged. "Not really. I don't see a problem in waiting."

If Uncle Paul were a cartoon drawing, he'd have steam coming out of his long ears. "Do you want to be frowned upon? Us to be frowned upon?"

"Honestly, I don't care what the people think. It's not the law."

"But it's tradition, Link! Not many people dare to break the tradition!"

"I don't care! I don't want to find anyone right now! I will when I want to, not because everyone else says so!" I got up and left the house, slamming the door behind me. I walked fast and furiously to the school house. Aunt Olah called my name, but I ignored her.

I wasn't late to school, but I barely made it. I sat down in my chair right before the teacher walked in.

*later*

Finally, school was over. I stood up and headed to the school door. Will called out my name. I stopped and waited for him.

"Hey, Link, why are you looking so upset?"

I sighed and shook my head. "It's a long story."

"You know I've got time."

"Fine." We both walked outside. "Walk with me to the library."

I told him about the ordeal with Uncle Paul. Will just laughed.

"Dude, I don't know why you're so worked up about it. Your birthday isn't for a couple of months."

"I know, but he makes it seem like it's tomorrow and as if I don't follow the tradition, my life would be over. It's frustrating."

Will laughed again.

"What's so funny?" I inquired.

"You. Seeing you angry is hilarious. Plus, I can tell you're overcomplicating things. I'm sure your uncle isn't trying to rush you. He sounds more worried than anything."

I scoffed. "Yeah, sure, you remember that when your parents talk to you about it." I was a few months older than Will.

"You know, I will. I bet I'll even have someone by then."

"And I bet it will be Tara."

Will sighed. "Link, how many times do I have to tell you that Tara likes Russell?"

"But you still like her, and even I'd say she likes you, not Russell."

"I don't like her." But his face told different.

"Say that without blushing or smiling, then I'll believe you."

Will gave me a sarcastically angry look. Then he said, "I could say the same about you."

"Huh?"

"I know it brings a joyous smile when you think about Zelda."

I grimaced. "Yeah, if you call this-" I motioned at my face "-a smile."

"Well...if you say you DON'T like her...then you wouldn't mind me doing this." He stopped walking and cleared his throat.

I raised an eyebrow. "Will...what are yo-"

"Link and Zelda sittin' in a tree..."

My face heated up quick. I quickly lunged at him, but he dodged.

"K-i-s-s-i-n-g..."

"Will! Stop it!"

I heard a few people laugh. I tried to shut him up, but I couldn't get a hold of him.

"First comes love..."

"Will, I don't like her!"

"Then comes marriage..."

I finally managed to tackle him to the ground. I covered his mouth with my hand to prevent him from finishing the rhyme.

There were some people saying 'aww' and some people muttering about 'it must be true'. I even heard someone saying how red my face was.

Will was laughing. I removed my hand and let him up as I muttered, "If you EVER do anything like that ever again, I'll have your head Will."

I don't think he heard me through his laughter. "That...was...great! You should've seen your face! It's still as red as a beet!"

"Only because you publically embarrassed me! I swear, if people get the wrong idea..."

"Oh, they will."

"Ugh, Will, I hate you."

"And that's why we're best friends! Now tell me you don't like Zelda without blushing."

"I don't like her, Will, and you know this! You know I don't like her at all! Not even as an acquaintance! Dear Farore, you are so hard-headed!"

"I'm only stating the truth, Link. By the way, you're still blushing. Well, I've got to go. See ya." He turned and left. I growled, not bothering to bid him goodbye.

I arrived at the library shortly after. I felt my face and ears to see if they were still warm from blushing. They weren't, thank Nayru.

I roamed up and down the aisles to look for anything on the Twilight Realm. I didn't find anything, but I did find a biography on the Hero of Twilight. I opened up the book and skimmed through it.

I felt someone tap my shoulder. It turns out it was the mayor.

"Fancy seeing you here, Link."

I nodded. "You too, sir," I said, trying to be polite.

He looked at the book. "Taking an interest in your ancestors, I see. So you finally believe me?"

I nodded, not mentioning the family tree Aunt Olah let me look at.

I suddenly remembered how he wanted me to take back Hyrule from the dictators. Which he asked me about.

"Have you considered my request?"

I thought about it for a moment. I realized this was my chance to get out of the whole 18th birthday thing. Besides, I would get to see Hyrule. Only the merchants here got to see Hyrule.

"I want to do it," I said, without even thinking about the consenquences.

The mayor looked taken aback. "R-really? You don't need furthur convincing?"

I shook my head.

"T-this is great! You truly have the spirit of the hero. Hyrule will belong back to us Hylians! I'll prepare the things you'll need. Stop by tonight. Oh, and bring your aunt and uncle." He turned and left.

I watched him leave. Then reality hit me.

What did I just do?


	4. Chapter 4

*Link's P.O.V.*

I put the book back on the shelf, in shock that I had just agreed on a dangerous task where I didn't even know what to do. I mean, how am I supposed to take back Hyrule from 300 years worth of dictatorship? Warfare? Overthrow them?

I walked back home slowly, my mind still on that. But I wasn't paying good attention of where I was going. I was too busy staring at the ground, way into my thoughts. Well, until I run into a certain someone.

Her.

Zelda.

I quickly turn the other direction to avoid any kind of conversation, but she grabbed my arm rather tightly before I could even take a step.

"You could say 'excuse me', you know. It's not that hard."

I didn't respond. Instead, I tried to jerk my arm away, but not hard enough to make her let go.

"I'm not letting go until you say it," she demanded with an authorized tone.

I turned my head and gave her a glare. "Just because you're the mayors daughter does not give you the right to just demand me of something. Now let me go."

"Me being the mayors daughter has absolutely nothing to do with this. I'm not letting you go until you excuse yourself from running over me!"

Ugh. Why did she have to be so over-exaggerate? "I didn't run over you. It was merely an accidental bump. Plus, I don't have to excuse myself from someone so rude and self-centered. Now let me go before I jerk your arm out of its socket, and trust me, I'm not afraid to do it to you." I made my arm muscles flex, warning her of my threat.

Zelda's already dark blue eyes turned darker, and her loose light brown curls fell over her face ever so slightly.

"Excuse me? Rude? Self-centered? You know good and well I am neither of those!" She growled and gave me her death glare.

"Hmph. You're right; you aren't rude and self-centered." I dropped my voice lower and softer. "You are a low-life heartbreaker and vain."

That seemed to hit her hard.

After a look of shock, she gave me the most evil look I've ever seen. Her hand came in contact with my face rather hard. The slap stung worse than any kind of Hylian hornet. She stormed away.

I continued my way home, the slap still stinging by the time I walked in the door. Aunt Olah was sitting on the couch, crotcheting some kind of winter hat. She looked up and gave a confused look.

"Who slapped you?"

"I don't want to talk about it." I sat on the other end of the couch and sighed.

"Well, at least tell me what's bothering you."

"A lot of things are. One, I'm still not sure about this whole ancestor thing, two, what Uncle Paul told me this morning, and three, I did something really...stupid."

"What did you do?"

"Remember yesterday when I told you that Mayor Noha told me I was going to free Hyrule?"

Aunt Olah nodded.

"Well, he found me in the library today and he asked me if I had been thinking about it, and I had said I would do it."

Silence.

"You did?"

I shrugged. "I guess I did. But that's not why it's stupid. It's stupid because of the reason behind agreeing to do it."

Aunt Olah gave me a look. "Don't tell me it was because of what happened this morning."

I let out a groan. "I know, it's stupid. I don't know why I did it. I just don't want to go through that whole 18th birthday thing and I thought I could avoid it by doing what Mayor Noha asked."

"Link! We know you don't like it, but you didn't have to go accept some kind of quest that you could very well die on! This is the dictators we're talking about! They tried to wipe out us Hylians a long time ago."

"I know, I know, it was rash, but honestly, I think it's better than being forced to marry. Uncle Paul made it feel like it had to be done immediately. I don't like to feel rushed."

She sighed. "He just doesn't want anything bad to happen. I tried to get him to wait to talk about it, but you know how stubborn he is. Besides, Link...if you do go, what if you don't come back? Like your father did?"

I sighed. When Graces was attacked by monsters, one had killed my mother right in front of my father. He was very angry and he ran off after them when they left, swearing to the village, and especially to me, that he would return with a monster's head. Everyone had cheered him on, but he never came home. One of the village protectors went out to find him. He returned, saying that neither my father nor the monsters were found. That's all I really remember.

"Don't bring him into this," I said solemnly.

"But I can't lose you like I lost him."

I do remember how hard his dissapearance hit Aunt Olah. She had been close with her older brother.

"You look just like him, minus the hair."

"Can we not talk about him?" I didn't feel like remembering those events again.

She looked away. "Sorry."

I stood up. "The mayor wants to meet with me tonight, and he told me to bring you and Uncle Paul." I glanced at the time. "I should be going to training now." I went to the kitchen to grab a quick snack and made my way to the training facility. When I got there, the captain, Peter, asked to have a word with me. I followed him into his office.

I sat down in a chair. "Yes, sir?"

"Link, I'm thinking about graduating you...early."

"Early? We usually don't graduate from training until we've had a full two and a half years. I've only had one and a few months."

Peter nodded. "Yes, that's true, but that's because two and a half years is usually how long it takes to become a really good swordsman. You have excelled past 'really good'. You're exceptional in the art of swordplay, even better than some of the most trained professionals here. Plus, you're left-handed, and there's only one other lefty here and he was able to train you for only a little bit. You figured out moves in a few weeks that took the professionals YEARS to learn."

"But isn't there more I can learn? It doesn't feel right to graduate early."

"Your father graduated early. Only by a few months instead of a whole year, but still."

Why does everyone want to talk about him today? "So?"

"But I think you're ready. Now that I think about it, you'll actually be the youngest to ever graduate here. Think of it as an honor."

I sighed, giving in. He had a point. "Okay."

"Great! I will talk to Mayor Noha about it tomorrow morning. If it all works out, today will be your last day here. When you see Master Bonso, tell him to meet me here later. You may go now."

I stood up and bid my goodbye. I went back to the main area of the facility, spotting Master Bonso, one of the main trainers, and told him Captain Peter wanted to see him later.

*later*

I headed inside my house, greeting everyone when getting inside. Shortly after, remembering the meeting, I ate supper and waited for Dan to go to bed, then walked into the living room where Aunt Olah and Uncle Paul were talking quietly. They stopped when they noticed me.

"Um...the meeting..."

Aunt Olah nodded. Uncle Paul looked confused.

"What meeting?"

Aunt Olah spoke. "I'll tell you later.

I let out a cough. "He actually wants both of you with me. I said that, remember?"

"Oh, that's right, you did...Paul, come on. We have to be going."

"Going where?"

"Mayor Noha has requested an audience with us three."

"What for?"

I squirmed a little. "Um...well...you'll find out." I honestly didn't know how to tell him. Aunt Olah gave me an understanding look.

"I'll tell you a little about it on the way there," she said. "Well, we should go now."

We all headed out. Aunt Olah told him about mine and her ancestry and what kind of agreement I had done. Uncle Paul didn't take the second part too well though.

"Link, how could you have agreed to that? It's dangerous out there! Those are the dictators! How could you have been so-"

Aunt Olah shushed him and calmed him down. "What's done is done, and I seriously doubt it can be changed. We'll just have to see what happens."

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

Slapping Link felt good.

Not in an insane way, but in an 'I've been waiting forever to do that' way. He deserved it. I wasn't vain or a heartbreaker. Where had he gotten that from, anyway?

I went home and went straight to my room. I looked at the family tree Tomas gave me this morning. He said Grandfather had given it to him when he was told about our ancestry. I found it amazing. I had royal Hylian blood. But what confused me was that Grandfather said I was directly descended from the Princess of Destiny, but my line only went up about halfway to a different princess. Even though her name was Zelda, it wasn't the same one Grandfather told me about. But, like the Princess of Destiny, this Zelda had a hero during her time who was also named Link. He was known as the Hero of Twilight. Maybe Grandfather had gotten them confused?

I stared at Princess Zelda's pictograph. I realized just how much I looked like her. We had similar facial features and hair color, but my eyes were darker and my hair had curls instead of being straight. I had gotten my soft loose curls from my mother and her side of the family. Her mother and younger sister had curls. They were all tight suzy-q type curls. Because my father had really straight hair, though, I only ended up with really loose, flat curls.

I heard a knock on my door. I opened it and saw Grandfather standing there.

"Zelda, I have a task for you."

"Yes, Grandfather?"

He first told me that he was having another meeting with Link tonight along with his aunt and uncle. Apparantly, Link had agreed to the whole taking back Hyrule thing. Shocker. I didn't think he would do it, based on his reaction about it last night.

"I want you to go to our library downstairs and find everything you can on the Hero of Time and Hero of Twilight. Also, down there, look for the hero's tunic."

I tilted my head. "Hero's tunic?"

He nodded. "I don't remember where exactly I have placed it, but it's in the library for sure. It's a green tunic that all the past heros have worn. I want Link to have it. If he is absolutely sure he is going to do this, then he should wear it to honor his hero ancestors."

I nodded. "Okay. When I get it, do you want me to put it into your office?"

"Yes, that would be nice. Thanks. I would do this myself, but I have so many other things to take care of." He turned and left.

I sighed and headed to the library. As much as I loved Grandfather, he always found excuses for me to do things that he was "too busy" to do and found it "simpler" to get me to do it rather than asking Tomas when he was around. With this, I figured out a long time ago how clear it was that he picked favorites. So I basically do everything around the house.

Once I had arrived at my house's personal library, I looked for everything on the two heros before trying to find this tunic. Our library was about a quarter of the size of Graces' public one, but it only had informational texts. We didn't have any fictional texts or anything of the sort.

I only managed to find two books, one of each. Thus, the search for the tunic began.

I looked everywhere I could think of before I gave up. I couldn't find it anywhere at all. Sighing, I decided to take the books upstairs to Grandfather's office and tell him.

"Grandfather, I can't find the tunic in the library," I said, placing the books on his desk.

He glanced up at me and gave me a questioning look. "Are you sure? Did you look hard enough?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Hmm..." He seemed to think about it for eternity. "I'm not sure of where else I would put it. Just search everywhere until you find it."

"Okay." I left the room and immediately looked for Tomas. I would need help with this. But, sure enough, Grandfather told me to bring in Tomas whenever I see him before I could get too far away. Responding with a "Yes, sir", I began my long search after finding Tomas and telling him Grandfather wanted to see him.

A few hours of searching later, I had finally found this "Hero's tunic" in Grandfather's bedroom. Why he couldn't remember that it was there, I'm not sure, but I returned to his office and handed it to him. As soon as that happened, I heard a knock on the front door. I headed downstairs to open it. I looked through the peephole and saw Link with his aunt and uncle. Forcing a kind tone, since his aunt and uncle were coming in with him, I opened the door and welcomed them inside. Once they passed, Link being behind them, I closed the door with a scowl.

*Link's P.O.V.*

I honestly didn't want to be here right now, but it was my stupidity and rashness that brought me to this moment. I braced myself for the coming meeting.


	5. Chapter 5

*Link's P.O.V.*

Zelda took the lead and led us to Mayor Noha's office. She stood by the entrance and let us pass. Aunt Olah thanked her and we walked inside. We all sat down in front of his desk.

"Good evenening. I assume Link has already told you two what the meeting is about? Oh, and Zelda, don't leave! This is about you, too!"

I heard her sigh and walk into the room. She sat down in a chair in the back of the room.

"Anyway, he has, right?"

Aunt Olah nodded. "Yes, sir, but we had to tell Paul everything so he would understand what is going on."

"Which I still don't understand half of it..." I heard Uncle Paul murmur.

"Is that so?" Mayor Noha tilted his head slightly. "Well, of course, you do know the story of the Hero of Time, right?"

"Of course."

"Well, basically, Link here is directly descended from him."

"I was told that, but how do you know for sure?"

"It was written down in two family trees. His and my family have the two. Speaking of which, have you seen it yet, Link?"

I nodded.

"Great. Any questions before we start discussing?"

Nobody spoke up. I so badly wanted to, because I didn't really want to go on this "quest" at all. Maybe if Uncle Paul hadn't tried to rush the 18th birthday thing...

"Excellent! We shall continue."

I basically zoned out throughout the whole conversation. He was just talking about how good I was at swordplay and how the "quest" should be a breeze for me.

I sighed. "Sorry to interrupt, but how exactly am I supposed to..."take back Hyrule"?" I used air quotes.

He didn't respond for a minute. "Um, well, you see...you know about the rumors that Dictator Freja is engaged, am I correct?"

"A lot of people know about that rumor," I said rhetorically.

Aunt Olah gave me a look that I saw with my periphial vision.

"That is true. Well, one of the merchants tells me everything he learns at Castle Town. Dictator Freja is engaged, alright. But she is engaged to that man."

"What man?"

Mayor Noha gave me a look. "Does the name 'Ganondorf' ring a bell?"

Ganondorf...

The name didn't really sound familiar, but it brought a slight feeling of anger. I shook my head with a confused look.

"Well, he is from Gerudo descent, and is the evil man that you've heard in the stories about your ancestors. Three of your ancestors, in fact, but one of them has no stories about her. You know who I'm talking about, right?"

I remembered reading things about people defeating this so-called Ganondorf. I nodded.

"Well, anyway, back to Freja. Her reign has been getting worse and worse. It actually wasn't that bad at first, until she got engaged to Ganondorf. I think he has something to do with it."

I raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

"He's powerful and has always had a lust for power. I think he's using her to take over Hyrule. I believe if you can take him down, Hyrule will be saved."

I narrowed my eyes. "What makes you think I can do this?"

"Why did you agree to do it in the first place?"

I sighed and sat back in the chair. Neither my aunt nor uncle spoke up.

"Well, then, is everything cleared up?"

"Yeah."

"So, you'll have a week to completely prepare. I'll talk to your trainer and teacher about this matter, and those are the only other people that are to know about this, understand."

I nodded.

"Great. Now, only a couple more things. First off, these books-" he gestured to two books on his desk "-should give you more information. Also..." He reached under his desk. "This garb was worn by your ancestors. It would be best if you wore them on your quest." He handed me the books and the clothes.

The clothes he took out was a forest green tunic with very light almost eggshell white pants. There was also a long hat the same color as the tunic sitting on top. The clothes almost looked slightly ridiculous in a sense, but it felt like they were almost...calling me. I shook my head slightly to clear the thought. They were just clothes!

I heard Zelda snicker from behind me. I turned around and glared at her. She just glared at me back. I turned back around. Mayor Noha sighed. "It's not funny, Zelda. This involves you as well."

"How?" I heard her ask.

"Don't you remember last night's conversation? I didn't say it was just going to be Link doing this on his own."

I jolted slightly. Oh, no. 'Don't say what I think you're going to say...' I thought.

"And..." Zelda said.

"Well, obviously, you're going with him."

Oh, joyous day.

"What?!" She jumped out her chair. "You have GOT to be kidding me!" She threw her hands up. "I have to spend time with...HIM?!"

"Zelda, I think you're overreacting. Right, Link?"

Did he just ask me to agree with him?

"You know, I'd never thought I'd say this ever, but I agree with her. If I actually do this, she has to come with me?"

"Well, yes. It makes sense. All the Zelda's and Link's worked together to save Hyrule."

Zelda sighed. "You're joking, right?"

"Um...no. What is the problem here?" Mayor Noha gave a very confused look. So did Aunt Olah and Uncle Paul.

"The problem? THE PROBLEM? The problem is that I have to go with him! Who in their right mind would do that? Ugh!" I heard her storm out the room.

"Link...?" Aunt Olah muttered, "What just happened?"

I didn't respond. I actually don't blame her for walking out. I don't want to have to do this quest with her either.

Uncle Paul spoke. "What in Nayru's name happened between you two for that to happen?"

"We just don't like eachother, okay?" I responded with a hint of haste.

"It seems like more than just not liking eachother."

"Well, it's getting late," Aunt Olah said. "We should be getting home." She stood up. "Thank you for telling us more about this."

Uncle Paul and I also stood up. I had the books and clothes in hand and follwed Aunt Olah out the room.

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

I ran into my room and closed the door. No sooner than a few minutes later, I heard a knock. I opened it slightly and saw Grandfather standing there with an angry look on his face.

"Zelda, what was the meaning of that? You completely embarrassed me!"

I narrowed my eyes. "You didn't ask me if I wanted to take on this quest. You asked him, and when he agreed, you automatically just put me with him as if I wanted to! You didn't ask me!"

"Zelda, you're overreacting..."

"How am I overreacting?" I snapped. I was so sick of him just volunteering me to do things! "It's always 'Zelda, do this, Zelda, do that, Zelda, go on this quest with Link, I don't care what you think'! Do you ever even wonder how I feel about things?"

He seemed taken aback. "I...Zelda, you could have spoken up."

"Oh, so it's my fault?"

"I didn't say that-"

"But you implied it. Anyway, I'm not going with him."

"Why not? In all the stories Link and Zelda work together."

"Just because the stories say so doesn't mean anything. I'm not going anywhere with him or even try to put up with him."

Grandfather sighed. "What is it with Link that you don't like so much?"

I let out a deep breath. "He's annoying, a smart-alec, cocky, a show-off...ugh. Who would like him?"

Grandfather shook his head. "You judge people too quick. Anyway, you should really go with him. It could be a good experience and maybe you two will eventually get along."

I snorted. "Us? Get along? Yeah, give it about...never."

"Zelda, I'm serious. You should go. As a matter of fact, you're going to go. No ifs, ands, or buts." He turned around and left. I closed the door and ran to my bed. I grabbed a pillow and screamed out my frustration. He still didn't ask my opinion. He was forcing me to go.

...Or was he?

A thought crossed my head. I was tired of Grandfather treating me like that. So what if I...ran away? To somewhere like Castle Town? Or even Kakariko Village...

I stood up and grabbed a bag and started to stuff clothes in it. If I did run away, then I wouldn't have to go on that stupid quest with Link and I wouldn't have to deal with Grandfather anymore.

Once I filled my bag halfway with clothes, I waited for a few hours to ensure Grandfather and Tomas would be asleep.

Tomas...

As much as I loved my dear brother, I just couldn't stay here any longer.

Once the cresent moon was high in the sky, I went downstairs to grab some food and went back to my roo. After stuffing the foods into my bag, I snuck out my window and made a small leap towards a convenietly placed tree branch. I landed on it easily. I reached over and closed my window and made my way down the tree. I then made my way to the front of the house, looked around, and ran as fast as I could, not looking back.

*Link's P.O.V.*

A violent knocking on my door woke me up.

"Link! Wake up! It's urgent!" I heard Uncle Paul on the other side. I slowly climbed out of bed and made my way to my bedroom door. When I opened it, Uncle Paul was nowhere to be found. I walked to the kitchen and didn't see anyone. I raised an eyebrow. Was I imagining things?

I went to the living room and saw Aunt Olah and Uncle Paul sitting in there. Also, Mayor Noha was in there.

"Link, you could've had the decency to put on a shirt before you came in here," Uncle Paul stated.

My face turned red. I had completely forgotten I went to bed without a shirt. I looked down at my bare chest.

"Sorry...I'll be right back." I turned to leave, but Mayor Noha spoke up.

"It's fine for the moment, we have an urgent matter that can't wait."

I turned around. "What happened?"

"Link, you may need to start earlier than expected."

I raised an eyebrow. "Start what earlier? The quest?"

He nodded.

"Why?" Even though I still didn't want to do it, I was looking foward to savoring the week I would've had left before I had to leave.

"Zelda has gone missing."

If I had said I was shocked, I'd be lying. Okay, it was a bit surprising, but in a way, it was kind of expecting. It was pretty obvious she didn't want to come with me, and I didn't want her to, either.

"Hm, what a shame," I said, trying not to be sarcastic. But I don't think that phased the mayor.

"Link, this is serious! This is my granddaughter we are talking about! She was supposed to go with you on the quest, but she's missing!"

"Maybe she started without me?"

Uncle Paul growled. "Link, don't let your dislike for her blind you from the situation. This is the mayor's granddaughter!"

I sighed. "Well, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Find her, obviously!" Mayor Noha sighed. "You could go ahead and start the quest by looking for her, and when you find her, just simply carry on."

Wait...is he volunteering me? When did I have a say in this?

"Wait, I never said I would go find her. Besides, what if the 'week of preparing' could be important? Can't you send out a protector to go find her?"

"But you're a protector now, am I right?"

I sighed in defeat. Peter must have talked to him already.

"Link? What is he talking about?" Aunt Olah asked.

"Peter told me yesterday that he wants to graduate me early."

I heard Uncle Paul's frustrated growl again. "Why didn't you say anything?"

I shrugged. Honestly, I had forgotten. But I wasn't about to say that.

"Anyway," Mayor Noha continued, "Peter did talk to me about it early this morning. I told him it was perfectly fine, and that it fitted the circumstances. I already told him about everything. We're holding the graduation ceremony today and you're leaving right after noon. Is that clear?"

I gave a 'what?' look. "Hold up, when did you volunteer me to find her?"

"You will, right?"

Everyone in the room stared at me. Did they really expect me to do this? It was only yesterday when I had agreed to even take the quest of taking Hyrule from the dictators and that was because I didn't want to have to deal with the 18th birthday thing. I didn't think about the consenquences, and now, it's a little too late for that. The mayor already has his hopes up. He thinks I'm going to do it.

I looked at the ground, thinking a bit more, then looked back up.

"Alright, I'll do it."

I saw the biggest smile ever come across his face.

"Great! By the way, your ceremony starts at 10 o'clock sharp. I'm looking foward to it." He left the house.

I sat down on the couch, thoughts racing through my head. Was I really going to do this? Was I even prepared for this at all?


	6. Chapter 6

*Link's P.O.V.*

Ten o'clock came way too soon. The village was bustiling with excitement. They had cancelled school for the day. Around 9:30, there was a stage set up outside the training facility and tons of chairs laid out facing the stage. The mayor was organizing all the crowds and seating them for the graduation ceremony. Soon, I was waiting near the stage for it to start. It was about 9:50. Peter was waiting beside me.

Aunt Olah decided to pick out my outfit for me. She had picked out a nice pair of khaki slacks with a white button up and a green vest that fit me snugly, along with my nicer pair of boots. I had straightened up my hair and made sure it was nice and neat for the occasion. It was trying to fall over my face a little bit like it usually does, though. I had to keep pushing it out of my face.

Mayor Noha's voice rang out above the crowd. For an older man, he sure had some vocal chords. "Ladies and gentleman, may I have your attention, please? We are ready to begin the graduation ceremony. If I may welcome Peter, headmaster of the training facility for the village protectors, to the stage, then he may begin the ceremony."

A round of applause filled the outside air. Peter walked onto the stage and stood behind the podium, raising his hand to quiet the crowd. The crowd immediately fell silent, with a few whispers remaining in the sort-of silence.

"Good morning, Graces village. I am proud to be hosting this time's graduation ceremony. As all of you know, I only host the special occassions. Well, trust me, this is a very special occasion. It's an early graduation!"

The crowd yelled with excitement. My heart started beating faster.

"Now, this student is far beyond exceptional to only have just over a year's worth of training instead of the usual two and a half years. He is very talented in the art of swordplay. Even though he had to go through different kind of training, being the only left-handed student at this time, he still excelled past all of the other students and is now ready to become an official Graces Village protector!"

The crowd applauded and roared. I felt my face heat up slightly. Did Peter really have to compliment me that much? I had a feeling this wouldn't pass by well with the other students.

"Now, if I may welcome Mayor Noha, Tomas, and Hank to the stage to conduct the ceremony."

The mayor was always present at the ceremonies. Tomas was there because the most recent person that graduated was usualy present. Hank was there because he was pretty much my trainer for the first while I was there. He was left-handed like I was, but he was the only other person besides me.

Peter continued. "Now, is everyone ready to welcome the graduate?"

The crowed screamed with much excitement. It felt like my stomach was twisting and like my heart was in my throat. I was so nervous.

"I'll take that as a yes. Everyone, let's welcome Link to the stage!"

The crowd's roaring and screaming got louder. I made my way on the stage, legs shaky and heart pounding. Peter shook my hand when I got up there. After that, I took my place beside Hank. The crowd quieted down.

Peter picked a piece of paper from the podium and walked over to me. He handed it over. I took it. The paper was my graduation certificate.

"I'm proud of you, Link. I was glad to have you train at the facility."

"Th-thank you, sir." I smiled.

Everyone else on the stage took turns shaking my hand. I could see Uncle Paul smiling with pride and Aunt Olah fighting back tears of joy. They were definetely proud of me. They practically raised me, after all. Dan was also smiling, but I could see the ambition in his eyes. He wanted to be up here one day, too.

"Now," Peter spoke up, "for the best part of the ceremony."

The 'best part' was where the new protector was assigned a task that usually wasn't too difficult. Usually, nobody knows what it is but the host of the ceremony and Mayor Noha. But it was an exception this time. I already knew what it was going to be. I mean, we had talked about it this morning.

"As you all know, the tasks aren't too hard. But this time, it depends. Even though this is a joyous time, there is a grave situation. This morning, we found out that one of our fellow villagers has gone missing."

I heard a lot of people gasp.

"That person is Zelda."

I swear it was so silent, you could almost hear peahats flying in Hyrule Field.

"Link's task is to find her and bring her home. We're not sure of the details on her dissapearance, but I'm sure we will know soon. Link," I could feel him looking at me. "Good luck."

"Good luck, Link!" The crowd's shouts replaced the silence.

*a little bit later*

I stood outside my house, waiting for the rest of the family to return home so the door could be unlocked. I had met with them after the ceremony, but they had been so caught up in talking with friends that I told them I would wait for them at the house. While I was waiting, Will came over and talked to me.

"So, your task is to save your damsel in distress, huh?"

I glared at him. "She's not my damsel, and she's probably not in distress."

He smirked. "Sure she's not, and what makes you say that?"

I rolled my eyes. How long would it take for Will to realize that I don't like her? Then I responded, "What makes you think she is?"

"She could've been kidnapped."

In all honesty, I couldn't imagine her being kidnapped.

"Nah. I just think she ran off. It seems like something she would do. Besides, who would want to kidnap THAT and have do deal with all that nonsense?"

Will sighed. "You know, Link, you are really mean about her. I'm sure Zelda is a whole lot nicer than what you make her out to be."

I scoffed. "Yeah, sure, if you say so. If you're so nice about her, just go ask her out then. You already bring her up a lot," I snapped.

He gave me a look. "Really? Is that really what you think?" He looked a little hurt.

Oops. "...I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. But it is really annoying that you bring her up all the time when you know I don't like her."

He tilted his head a bit. "Why don't you like her? You've never really told me why. Sure, you've said, 'Oh, she's this and that', but you've never really TOLD me why."

I stared at the ground. Even though there was a logical reason to why I disliked her so much, I wasn't about to explain it. Before I even said anything, I heard Aunt Olah's voice.

"Oh, is that you, Will? It's been a while!"

Phew, talk about great timing.

I looked up and saw them walking over. I noticed Dan wasn't with them.

"Where's Dan?" I asked.

"He's spending time with a friend. Now, how have you been, Will?"

"I've been fine, Miss Olah. How about yourself?"

m

"Oh, just fine." Aunt Olah took the house key out from her small purse and unlocked the house.

"So, Link," Will said, "when are you leaving?"

"A little bit after noon, I guess. I have to get everything prepared."

"Oh. Well, I'll see you before your departure." He turned and walked away.

I walked inside and started unbuttoning my vest. It was starting to get a bit warm in these clothes, with it being the beginning of spring.

Aunt Olah started to fix some sandwiches for us. I went to my room and took off the vest and rolled up the sleeves of the button up. I heard a knock from the main door. After I heard Uncle Paul answer it, he called my name. I walked out my room and into the living room. Mayor Noha was there.

"Listen, I just want to tell you how much I appreciate you going after Zelda. I really wasn't aware that the two of you aren't exactly fond of eachother, but being able to ignore that obsticle and find her not only as your task, but to begin your quest...now that is something your ancestors would have done. I am now absolutely sure you have the spirit of your heroic ancestors."

I shrugged. "I guess so. But..." A question popped in my head. "Where do I start after I find your granddaughter?"

He frowned. "Honestly, I have no clue. But I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out. Anyway, come by my house when you are ready. And when you wear that tunic, wear it proudly." He left.

"Guys, the sandwiches are ready!" Aunt Olah called from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen and realized how hungry I was. I hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast this morning with everything that was going on.

After lunch, I headed to my room and closed my door. The tunic that the mayor had given me yesterday was laying beside my dresser and on top of the books he had given me as well. I lifted it up and realized that it was a little bit heavy for clothes. With closer inspection, I realized there was chainmail inside the tunic. Under the tunic, there was a white longsleeved undershirt with a loose collar-type neckline. The outfit looked like it would be too warm soon.

I took off my clothes and slipped on the almost white pants. They fit just right. The white undershirt went on next. It felt just a little tight; you could faintly see the outline of my muscles from training. I could easily move in it, though, so it wasn't a big deal. After that, I slid on the chainmail. I felt so...heavy. After that was the tunic. It slipped on easily and stopped about halfway through my thighs. It was also shortsleeved. I noticed there were belt loops right above my waist area. I searched through my dresser and found my dark brown belt, then slipped it on. The whole outfit wasn't as warm as it looked, though it felt heavy. I then pulled on some new socks and my favorite pair of boots. They were a dark dusty brown color and really comfortable.

I had picked up the hat when I heard a knock on my door.

"Come in."

Aunt Olah peeked her head into my room. Then she walked in. "That outfit really suits you, Link. Green is really your color."

I shrugged. "It feels weird." I wondered what the villagers would think when they would see me walk around in this. Guys usually wore tunics, but they were a little more casual than this. I felt and probably looked like I was going into a battle.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it. Anyway, I packed you a bag with supplies and rupees. You might need to add a few things, though, like socks and underwear-"

"Got it, thanks," I interrupted.

She sighed. "I'm just making sure you take everything you need. You don't know when you'll need something."

"I'll be alright."

She walked over and grabbed the hat that went with the tunic out of my hands. She played around with my hair, smoothing it out a bit in the back and moving my part, before putting the hat on my head. I moved my hair around a bit, putting it back in its original part.

"Aww, it looks so nice when it's split down the middle."

"Aunt Olah, I love you, but please mess with my hair like that. I like it just the way it is." My light dirty blonde hair has always been parted to the left side a bit.

"Fine. Well, go on and see Mayor Noha. I'll finish packing for you."

I nodded and headed to the mayor's house. He was waiting outside for me with a few things in his hands.

"What are those?" I asked when I completely approached him.

He handed me one thing. "Here, put these on."

First was a pair of cuffed leather gloves. Next were these dark blue gauntlet-type things that covered my wrists and part of my forearms. Lastly was two pouches that attached to my belt.

"Um, thanks."

"No problem. It's actually part of the tunic wear. Now, go see Peter. He'll have a sword and shield for you. After that, meet me at the entrance."

I nodded and headed to the training facility. Peter was inside by himself. He saw me walk in and smiled.

"Ah, if it isn't Link? What may I do for you?"

"Mayor Noha said you'd have a sword and shield for me."

His smile faltered a bit. "Oh, yes, I do. Give me a minute." He walked to another room and returned with the items. He first handed me the holster for the sword cover and shield to stay on my back, then the sword and shield. The sword was a nice and sturdy one. The shield was metal and had Hylian designs on them.

"Link, you be careful out there. Hyrule is a dangerous place, you hear?"

I nodded. "Yes, sir."

Peter gave me a quick hug and patted my shoulders. "Bring her back, okay?"

I nodded again. Everyone was really expecting me to bring her...wait...Did Mayor Noha not tell Peter what else I would be doing?

I thanked him again, shrugging off the thought. I headed back home and saw Dan had returned from his friend's house. He ran up to me.

"Are you really leaving?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but I'll be back soon." I hope.

"It must feel great to be an official protector, now, huh? You're already about to begin your task!"

I ruffled his hair. "You better behave while I'm gone, kiddo."

He growled. "I'm not a kid, I'm thirteen years old."

"No, your still a kid up until you get your own place, Dan." I looked up and saw Uncle Paul. It sometimes amazes me just how much Dan took after his father.

Uncle Paul walked over to us. "Link, when you leave, you better be careful."

"I know, I know, I've been told this a million times already."

"And you'll hear it a million times more. Now, let's go. Olah is waiting for us at the village entrance."

As we walked there, Will joined us along the way.

"Is that really what you have to wear out there?" He asked with a bit of laughter. I punched him slightly on his arm.

"Shush. I don't want to hear it. You decided to not become a protector, so you don't have a right to say anything," I said with a smirk.

"Oh, whatever."

We finally made our way to the entrance. Quite a few people were waiting there to see me off. There was a saddled horse there as well. I walked over to it. The horse was a chestnut brown with a white mane and tell. It was a really beautiful horse.

"Her name's Epona."

I turned and saw Mayor Noha standing behind me.

"Epona, huh? It sounds a little familiar."

"Does it? Anyway, your taking her with you. Hyrule Field is too vast to travel on by foot."

"Alright." I patted Epona gently. She let out a puff of air through her nose.

Aunt Olah walked over to me. "Here," she said as she handed me a bag. "Here's some food, water, and anything else you may need." I took the bag and placed it over on the back of Epona's saddle.

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

She smiled and hugged me. "Be safe and come home soon." She let me go and wiped a tear from her eye. Soon after that, many people were wishing me a safe journey and a safe return home.

Will was the last person to come up to me.

"Link...better save your damsel in distress, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "Will, for the last time-"

"Relax, I'm kidding. But seriously, though. Bring her home."

"I will, I will, okay? Dear Farore...I wonder how we even became friends in the first place."

"Not all questions have an answer."

I laughed a bit. "Very true. Anyway, do me a favor while I'm gone."

Will narrowed his eyes a bit. "It depends."

I climbed onto the saddle to escape Will's reach a bit. I looked over to the distance and saw Tara talking with her friends.

"You'd better get with Tara before I get back."

His face turned red. "Link! I don't like her like that!"

A sly grin crept across my face. "Is that so? Well, then you won't mind me doing this."

Payback time.

"Link...don't do what I think your about to do..."

"I'm sorry, what?"

A look of relief fell across his face. But it wouldn't last for long.

I looked around and saw people waving goodbye at me. I waved back and whipped the reins on Epona to let her know she needed to move foward. Once I was right at the entrance, I turned my head around.

Three, two, one...

"Will and Tara sitting in a tree!"

Will's face turned red really quickly.

"Link, you-"

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Tara looked confused, but then her face started creeping up to a red color. A few people were laughing.

"First comes love, then comes marriage,"

Someone whistled. Another person yelled out, "Get it, Will!" Will cast me an angry glare. I laughed.

"Payback, Will, payback."

"Just wait until you get back! I'll get you!" He ran towards me. I kicked up Epona's speed.

"Then comes the baby in the baby carriage!"


	7. Chapter 7

*Link's P.O.V.*

I rode out the village laughing. It felt good to get Will back for what he did to me yesterday.

Since Graces Village, though a large village, was remote, there wasn't really much outside it unless you went a little ways out, which most villagers don't do, unless they're a merchant, of course. Right outside the village was a small patch of woods. It was a peaceful trip through it. There weren't really any skutullas or any other kind of annoying bug. The sunlight usually shone through the canopy beautifully, with sun rays peeking through and leaving light spots on the ground.

After a few minutes, I made my way out of the woods. There was an open field, full of grass with a few trees here and there. There was a slight breeze, but it felt nice.

"Hyrule Field..." I muttered.

The sun was bright and there were only a few clouds in the sky. It was a beautiful day. There was a little bit of humidity in the air, but it wasn't too bad.

It was just a little after noon; I would have a good six or seven hours to find Zelda. I wondered if I would time to relax...I wasn't in any kind of hurry to find her. The later, the better in this situation.

I started by just staying on the edge of the field. If I could find any kind of sign, it would most likely be on the edges.

That lasted for a good bit. I had been riding for a couple of hours. Nothing was going on. I was getting sleepy from boredom.

Then my nose caught a different scent.

Smoke.

I opened my eyes wide and searched for any sign of a fire. A little ways in the distance was a dark grey billow of smoke. It didn't rise very far up in the air, but the smoke was thick.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I steered Epona towards the smoke. There was a small path leading to it. I started to hear a small beating of drums when I got closer. Once I was within a good walking distance to get a closer look, I got off Epona and crept up slowly. There were a few vines blocking my view. I pressed my back against a tree and pushed them a little bit out the way. What I saw were a group of green-skinned moblins. They were beating drums and doing dances around a bonfire. They seemed to be celebrating something.

The moblins seemed to look familiar, actually. I wondered if they were the monsters that attacked Graces nine years ago.

I looked around their camp to see if I could figure out what they were celebrating for; they were moblins, after all. If they were celebrating, it wouldn't be for anything good.

I didn't notice anything in particular at first, until I noticed a tall pole with someone tied to it. A closer look at it provided that it was a woman. There was a bag covering her face, so I wasn't able to tell who she was. She was wearing light purple pants, a white shirt, and a vest that matched her pants, along with brown boots. Her head was also down. She moved it slightly and some of her hair fell across her arm.

Light brown loose curls...Zelda had light brown loose curls.

Well, that went faster than I thought. Now, how did she end up here?

(*random authors note-so its April 22, 2013 right now at the moment I am writing this and there is supposed to be a meteor shower tonight and I'm really depressed because its super cloudy so I won't be able to see it :( ...stupid clouds...*)

I sighed. 'Looks like I'll have to get her out of there,' I thought. 'But how...? Or maybe I could just leave her here...she deserves it, after all. No, don't think things like that. You're not that mean.'

I shook my head and looked around the camp again. There would be no point in just rushing in there. It would make the task more difficult than it needs to be. There seemed to be another entrance near where Zelda was tied up. I decided the best way would be to sneak around to the back and cut the rope. I looked around again to see if there would be any kind of guards watching, but they all seemed to be celebrating and not expecting anything to go wrong.

I quietly tiptoed my way around, then realized just how noisy my chainmail was. I tried to take softer steps, which barely helped. Luckily, the sounds of the beating drums covered it pretty well. The moblins wouldn't be able to hear me, hopefully.

Once I had snuck around to the back, I drew my sword to cut the rope. I snuck up behind her and said softly,"Whatever you, don't move, unless you want your arm cut off."

I saw her nod slightly before slowly cutting the rope, bit by bit. I kept looking up at the moblins to make sure they didn't notice. If any of them looked, I quickly stood straight up against the pole; it was big enough to hide behind. After a few minutes, the rope fell to the ground and we ducked behind the trees behind us.

Zelda ripped the bag off her head and stared at me.

"Wait...that was YOU?"

I held a finger over my lips. "Shh...come on. We have to get out of here before the-"

Too late. The moblins let out furious grunts and screeches, notifying that they noticed Zelda wasn't tied to the pole anymore.

"Joy," I muttered sarcastically and started running, hearing her run behind me. It felt harder to run with all this chainmail on, but it was do-able. I ran towards where I left Epona. I quickly climbed on and yelled, "Get on," at Zelda. Even though I didn't like her, I wasn't going to just leave her. That would be a little bit too cruel.

She climbed on the horse fast and I got us out of there. The moblins' screeches got quieter as we rode away further. Once I got back onto Hyrule Field, I slowed Epona to a smooth stroll. Then I realized Zelda was holding onto me tightly.

"You can let go now," I muttered. She let go hastily. When she did, she quickly jumped off. I looked down at her. She was dusting herself off. Zelda looked up at me when she was done.

"Why did you do that?" She spat. "I had it under control!"

I raised an eybrow. "Did you, now?" I asked very sarcastically. "So I could've just left you there, as I seriously considered?"

She gave me a look. "You really considered that? Hmph. Well, then."

"But you just said you would've had it under control."

She rolled her eyes. "Why were you even out there? And what's with the outfit?"

"Well, you know, I was supposed to have a whole week to prepare for this 'journey' thing, but then you went missing, so Mayor Noha sent me out a week early to find you. And this tunic is the same one he gave me that he wanted me to wear to 'honor my ancestors'."

"Grandfather sent you? Ugh."

"Yep. Plus, he said I was to continue on from there, so...yeah. He also said you were to stay with me, but you're perfectly welcome to go back home to tell him you're okay."

"No way! I'm not going back there!"

Well, that was random.

"Really?" I tilted my head. "What a shame."

"I'm not kidding." She looked away.

"So you did run away?" I was right. No one, or thing, would kidnap her.

(*AND YOU GUYS...I have writers block now. I'm stuck. So, instead of keeping you waiting, I'm giving what I have so far. If you have any ideas, please please please let me know so I can continue! Yes, I am that stuck!*)


	8. Chapter 8

*Link's P.O.V.*

"So you did run away?" I asked her. No one, or thing, would want kidnap Zelda.

"That's none of your concern," she snapped, crossing her arms in the process.

"Well then," I muttered. "Well, unfortunetly, you're stuck with me."

She laughed. "Yeah, right. What do I look like, sticking with you?"

"Okay, fine. Where are you going to go without food or water?" I signaled to the vast, empty field. "Based on what I see, nowhere for a long time."

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

...Crap. He had a point. But I wasn't about to let him have his way.

Wait...no food? I had brought food with me! And water! And more clothes. The moblins must've taken them when they captures me.

"I can do just fine on my own," I said stubbornly. I wasn't about to let him have the satisfaction of being right. 'Did I just admit he was right?' I thought.

Link let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I'm trying to put past my dislike for you and help, which is very hard to do, by the way. But, since you don't want it, fine. Suit yourself. Don't come crying to me for food or water. Or shelter for the night," he said coldly. He turned the horse and started to leave. I stood there and watched him leave. 'He was serious about leaving,' I thought. 'Hmph. Let him leave. You wanted to go somewhere besides Graces, and now's your chance. Just find Castle Town, or maybe a place like Kakariko...'

Screeches inturrupted my thoughts. I looked towards the sound. There was a group of angry moblins running towards me. They were the same ones that captured me early this morning. I started running. I had no clue how to fight, and I definetely did not want to be captured again.

I tripped over my own feet, but managed to scramble back up. Then, out of nowhere, a sharp and painful feeling ran through my right arm. I tripped again, the pain distracting me. This time, a moblin grabbed my foot and held on to it tightly, despite my efforts to make the moblin let go. The next thing I knew, a sword appeared through it's chest. The moblin nearly collapsed on top of me.

I sat up to see Link fighting off all of the moblins. I took this time to see why my arm was hurting. An arrow had almost pierced it straight through. The arrow head was almost all the way in my arm. I took in deep breaths as I started to freak out. It would be painful getting it out. 'Might as well get it over with now...'

I gripped the arrow tightly and started to pull it out slowly. I gritted my teeth together from the pain. When it was halfway out, the pain really started to grow, but I didn't scream. I didn't want to come off as weak, even if the pain was almost unbearable.

"You know, the faster you pull that out, the quicker it will be over."

I look away from my injured arm to find Link standing there with an amused expression. The moblins were also gone.

"Where'd the moblins go? And how long have you been standing there?" I demanded.

"Look, don't get bossy with me. I chased them off, and I have been for a while now. Well, at least long enough to watch you pull out part of that arrow."

"Hmph. Whatever." I start to pull out the arrow slowly again. I heard Link sigh and walk over. He grabbed the arrow and jerked it out. I screamed from the pain.

"Oww! You jerk! Couldn't you see that I had it? Ugh! I can't believe you!"

He turned around and walked towards the horse.

*Link's P.O.V.*

Zelda continued to fuss at me while I walked away. I was getting a bandage for her arm, but it was in the bag Aunt Olah had packed and that bag was on Epona's saddle. I grabbed the bag and walked back over to a still-fussing Zelda. I dug in the bag and pulled out a roll of bandages and tape, then tossed them at her. She stopped fussing finally and picked up the bandages.

"Do you want help with them or do you have too much pride to admit you need help?" I asked.

"I'm perfectly fine," she said and stuck her nose up in the air.

"Fine, suit yourself. By the way, it will be nighttime soon, so hurry up. I want to find a campsite before it gets too dark." I sat down on the ground. As she struggled to use the bandages with her good arm, which was her left one, I stared up at the clouds. I noticed a guay circling the air above us, letting out those annoying calls from it's beak. (*note- if you don't know what guays are, they're the annoying crow-like things from OoT and MM that sound like tree frogs*) The guay kept gping in circles, like buzzards when they've found dead meat to snack on. All of the sudden, it took off in a straight line towards the north-west. I looked away from the sky when I heard Zelda grunt loudly. She had the bandages inbetween her teeth and was trying to pull a but off the roll wth her hand. I let out a small chuckle. It was funny watching her struggle.

She glared at me. "I hope this is funny to you! I can't use my right arm, and trying to do this with my left is difficult, especially because I'm not left-handed!"

"Noticible," I stated.

"Ugh!" She threw the roll on the ground, obviously frustrated. It rolled a bit towards me. I stood up and picked it up. I walked over and handed it back.

"Just because your arm is bleeding and in pain doesn't always mean you can't use it."

"Shut up." She snatched the bandages and properly unrolled a bit. She tried to wrap them around the wound on her arm, but failed. She tried multiple times. but failed multiple times along with those tries.

"Any day now," I muttered, "I really would like to find a campsite within the next hour..." I glanced at the sun. It was starting to get close to the treetops, and the sky's edges were starting to get a golden tint to them.

Zelda stuck her injured arm at me. "Just do it before I change my mind." Then she threw the bandage at me.

I smirked. "Well, well, well, guess who needs help after all." I took the bandage and started wrapping it around the wound. Her white shirt sleeve was almost completely covered in blood. The injury would need proper care soon.

"Hold this in place while I get a piece of tape," I said. She did as asked without looking at me. I got a piece and taped the bandage in place. She stood up and huffed.

"We'd better start finding camp," I said while walking towards Epona. I grabbed her reina and started walking towards the woods.

"Why there? What if the moblins come back?" Zelda complained.

"Didn't I say I chased them off? Besides, we're not even headed in that direction," I snapped. Great goddesses, she was so annoying. I just helped her out, too. She hadn't even said thanks.

"Whatever."

We entered the woods. I didn't see a suitable place in sight, so I pressed foward, watching my step and guiding Epona. After a bit, I found a clearing and stopped. It was surrounded by trees, so it offered protection and plenty of firewood.

"Here. This is nice."

*A P.O.V. of a character yall don't know yet*

I walked through the hallways of the palace. The golden rays of the sunset beaming through the windows were sheilded by my thick cloak. I didn't want the light touching me. No being of the dark would. Curse the light and it's dwellers.

I reached my destination at the end of the hall. My pet was waiting for me at the last window. He wasn't just any pet, though. He was my shape-shifting spy who could blend in with the emviroment easily. Right now, he was shaped as a guay. I walked up to him.

"Was your mission succesful, my pet?"

He shifted into a human. "Yes, master, it was. It seems that they have started their journey already. You should inform our lord immediately. His plan will need to be in motion soon."

"A very good idea. I will inform him now. For now, just follow them around, and report to me at random until further notice."

"Yes, master." He shifted into a guay again and flew off. I looked out at the so-called land of Hyrule. It will look much more lovely once my lord's plan has been completed. I turned and headed to him. I knocked on his door and heard an "enter" from the other side.

I walked into the dark room. My lord wasn't fond of the light and usually kept his curtains closed.

"My lord, I have information that may be useful to you."

I heard him let out a breath. "Tell me."

"My pet has informed me that the two you are waiting for have started their journey."

"The past heros' descendent and the royal family's descendent?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Excellent. What is your pet doing now?"

"I ordered him to spy on them and report randomly until further notice."

"Great. My plan will be in motion soon. This time, I will not fall to the hands of some cowardly hero. I will take over Hyrule forever this time. Once I have married Freja, Hyrule will be mine, and he won't be able to stand in my way!"

"Sir, not to be rude, but why don't you just kill him now, before he has the Master Sword?"

"Even though that is an excellent point, I do not have the time to get up and rid my enemy from the world. However...I do not want to make the mistake of waiting too long to do it again. Instead...find ways to weaken him throughout this whole ordeal. And that girl would be a good target to weaken him with. When the time is right, take her from him and hide her."

"Yes, my lord." I turned to leave.

"Oh, and Tenebris?"

I stopped. "Yes?"

"...Nevermind."

"Yes, my lord." I left the room.

*Author's note* FINALLY! I got my brain straight and wrote what I wanted to write! sorry it took so long...don't kill me...meep...Anyway, hope you enjoyed! And let me know if you noticed any plot holes.

Random question. So, you know how you have to create a document for a chapter to post on a story? Yes? No? You're confused? Sorry. Well, you know how those documents have a limited number of days? What happens when the days run out? Does it remove the chapter from your story? If anyone knows please aswer. Gracias.

There was something else I wanted to say...but I can't remember what it was...oh well. Byeee!


	9. Chapter 9

*Link's P.O.V.*

"How in the name of Farore could you have gotten us lost? We were just a little ways out from the field, and you managed to go in the wrong direction!"

I sighed. We had been walking in the forest for about an hour.

"How could someone expect someone like you to save Hyrule? I mean seriously!"

After a few more minutes of her ranting, I snapped.

"Listen. In case you forgot, you're the one who picked the direction you thought we came from. So don't go blaming me for your mistake. Also, it was your grandfather who chose me to do this. I'd also watch what you're saying to me. I'm the one with the food and water."

"Oh, so now you're threatening me?"

I would've shot back a response if I hadn't seen a girl standing near us with wide eyes. She just stood there and stared at us. She was holding a basket full of berries and herbs. I wondered if she knew the way back to Hyrule Field...

I took a step and opened my mouth to say something, but she took off running. I took off after her, leaving behind Zelda and Epona. I wanted to know the way back to the field. I heard Zelda call me back, but I ignored her. I was a bit close to catching the running girl, but she sped up.

'Wow, this girl is fast for her age,' I thought. A little bit later, she dissapeared behind some bushes. I ran through and stopped. I had come upon a small village. But it looked a bit strange. For one, the houses were made out of trees. The other thing...there were no adults in sight.

'A village full of children?'

"Link, don't do that again! If I had been stuck there in the middle of the woods-"

"Shh." I turned around and glared at Zelda. She had brought Epona with her, too.

"Don't tell me to shush!"

I sighed. "I'm going down there to ask for directions. I will be back. Please don't follow me." I walked more towards the village. Once one child saw me, they screamed with terror. I flinched. More children screamed. Only one child didn't. He was small boy with light brown hair and bright green eyes. He was wearing all green with brown boots. He just stared at me, looking me up and down. Finally, he spoke.

"Quiet!"

The children fell silent.

"You..." He said. "Who are you and why are you here?"

I swallowed. Even though he was only a small child, he seemed very threatning. "My name is Link, and I was just trying to ask for directions back to Hyrule Field."

"Link, you say? You have been expected. Our guardian wants to speak to you."

"Expected?"

He nodded. "Come with me. And bring your friend, too." He turned around and started walking.

'Friend? Does he mean Zelda?' I shrugged. I turned around and beckoned her. She still had her hand on Epona's rein. I shook my head. "Leave Epona here." I started following the boy. I heard Zelda running to catch up. We followed him through a pathway outside the village. On the way, I asked him a few questions.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"Folan."

"Okay, Folan...are there any adults in the village?"

He turned his head back a bit to look at me, then shook his head and sighed. "Weren't you ever educated on the Kokiri?"

"Kokiri...? No, I don't think I was taught that in school."

This time, Zelda spoke. "Oh, is this the fabled Kokiri Forest? My grandfather told me stories about your kind. The Kokiri are the children that never grow up and are spirits of the forest, right?"

Folan nodded. "Though we're not exactly spirits, that's correct."

I saw a look of triumph spread across Zelda's face. 'Great,' I thought, 'Something for her to rub in my face.'

"We're here." Folan stepped aside. There was a small passageway to an opening. I walked through and didn't see anything in particular, except for a giant tree. The closer I looked at the tree, though, the crazier I thought I was getting. The tree had a face.

"Great Deku Tree! They're here!" Folan called out.

"Excellent. Thank you, dearest Folan." I looked around for whoever was talking...then I realized the tree's mouth was moving ever so slightly. It creeped me out a little.

"Tell me," the Great Deku Tree spoke again, "Is your name Link?"

"Yes."

"And you are Zelda, correct?"

She nodded.

"I apologize on behalf of the Kokiri. There hasn't been an outsider here in about a decade. On top of that, they're not used to seeing anyone who isn't a child."

Zelda tilted her head. "Why is that?"

"You see, the Kokiri have been kept hidden for a very long time. I do believe it's been...about 500 years. Hardly anyone knows about their existence anymore. The only people that know are the descendants of the royal family and expert scholars."

"But why keep them in hiding for so long?" I asked.

I heard him sigh deeply. "I assume you know the story of the Hero of Time?"

I nodded.

"During his time as the hero, disaster struck the forest. The Kokiri almost died out and the original Great Deku Tree was killed by an evil man's power. To prevent that from happening again, I placed a magical barrier around the village to make it invisible to the human eye. It also keeps unwanted visitors out. Only people destined to see it will be able to see it."

I nodded again. "I see. So why are we able to see it?"

"I feel that the same man who almost wiped them out all those years ago has returned."

"Do you mean Ganondorf?" Zelda asked. "According to my grandfather, he has returned."

"Yes, that is exactly who I mean. With his return, he has brought many monsters forth along with his presence. The temples of the sages are becoming run down with evil. Even though I have placed a barrier around the forest, the Forest Temple has been affected by his minions. I need it cleared out before the Kokiri children find out about it. Folan is the only Kokiri that knows about it. He's the leader of the village. He will lead the way to the Forest Temple."

I took a step back. "Wait...but I just left my home yesterday! I'm not sure if I am ready to take on such a task."

The Great Deku Tree let out a rumble that I assumed to be a chuckle. "Do not worry, boy. You are the next chosen hero, correct? Trust me, I don't think you'll have an issue with it."

I gave a confused look. "The next chosen hero?"

"You mean you don't know? Do you not realize why you are here?"

I shrugged. "I was just sent on a quest to return Hyrule to normal because I am descended from the Hero of Time. I wasn't told anything about being the "next hero" or anything."

"Well, the Goddesses created your destiny a long time before your birth. So, you're not here by mere coincedence. You were chosen to bear the spirit of the hero, and therefore, you the duties od the hero. Just because you think you were sent by someone to do a specific task, it doesn't mean that it wasn't already destined to happen."

I looked at the ground. "So you mean...I was chosen by the Goddesses themselves to bring Hyrule back?"

"Yes."

"I see." I looked back up at the Great Deku Tree. "Then I'll do it."

"I already knew you would. You just took some urging, that's all. Either way, your destiny cannot be avoided. Remember that."

"I will." I turned around and started to leave.

"Wait."

I turned my head back. "Yes?"

"I sense a lot of...tension and anger between the two of you. Also remember that past mistakes can be forgiven."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked rather harshly.

"You will find out in time. Now, go."

I nodded and left. Zelda followed me out. We saw Folan waiting for us a few yards away.

"Come," he said, "we must go to the Forest Temple immdiately."

After walking though the woods for what seemed like an hour, we arrived at a broken staircase. The whole way here had been silent, except for our footsteps.

Finally, Folan spoke. "I'm surprised that we didn't run into any monsters on the way here. The forest is usually crawling with them around here. Well, anyway, here we are."

I looked at the broken staircase. "Um...how are we supposed to get up there?"

"Oh. I almost forgot. Here, use this." Folan dug a strange object out of his pocket. "It's called a hookshot." He rotated it around. He showed us inside the handle. "You press this button to release the chain. The arrow here-" he rotated it to show the arrow- "will attach to wooden objects and fly you across to them. Like this." He aimed the hookshot at a branch above us and let the chain go. In just a few seconds, he was sitting on top of the branch.

"Once you have reached where you needed to go, press the same button to retrieve the chain. Here, you try." He threw the hookshot down at me. I mimicked his actions and also ended up on the branch.

"See? Easy, right?"

I nodded.

"Hello? What about me?"

I looked down at Zelda and sighed. "Fine." I tossed it down to her. She failed to catch it. I rolled my eyes. Folan glanced at me questioningly, but didn't say anything. I heard Zelda squeal. I looked back down and saw that she had managed to get the arrow stuck in the ground. I buried my face into my palm. I'm stuck with her? Really?

I heard Folan laugh softly. "Just retrieve the chain and try again."

The second time, she got it.

"There you go. Now, both of you be careful. Even though the forest was strangely empty, the temple will be filled with enemies and such. If needed, the hookshot can be used as a ranged weapon, since that arrow can pierce through anything softer than wood. It's pretty sharp."

I nodded. "Thanks. And we'll be careful."

"Good luck." Folan jumped off the branch. He turned around and looked up at us. "I'll be here when you come back...you will come back, right?"

"I'll try to," I called back. With that, I turned and jumped to the entrance of the Forest Temple. I stared at the entrance. I heard Zelda jump down behind me.

"Come on, lets get this over with." She headed inside. I let out a breath and followed her.

*author's note* I forgot to do this last chapter, but thank you, alfred pierce, for helping me out when I had writer's block. :D


	10. Chapter 10

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

The Forest Temple should have been renamed the Forest Ruins.

No, I wasn't kidding. The whole "temple" was in shambles. Most of the walls had either fallen completely down, had holes in them, or only half was left. Some walls were still standing up, but looked like they could fall any minute.

I cautiously stepped around to be sure I didn't step on anything. There were things all over the ground. One wrong step, and I could trip on something that might break my ankle. And we weren't even through the first room yet! There was a door, but I was scared to open it, in fear that the wall above it would fall from the door being moved.

But, obviously, Link thought otherwise. He opened the door swiftly. I almost expected the wall above the door to fall and crush him, but it didn't.

*random authors note: yeah, i know I said I would update sunday or monday, sorry! Well, right now, I'm at Kings Dominion and gonna write while in line :D yes, i write my stories on my phone and tablet. my computer is too slow for this (wednesday, june 20)*

I just stood there, not wanting to walk under it. Link noticed I wasn't following and turned around to look at me.

"Look, it's not going to fall on you. Just walk under it. I mean, you're the one who wanted to get this over with."

I glared at him. "I'm not scared." I walked underneath the door with a brave look. He just rolled his eyes, obviously annoyed. When I was under the doorway, I heard a brick crumble. I let out a squeal and covered my head. When I felt nothing fall on me, I peeked up and heard Link laughing. I glared at him again and walked past him.

"Yeah, not scared," he laughed out. I ignored him and kept walking. I looked around the room. It was like a small hallway. There was old red carpet on the floor, and it looked very dusty.

*again, sorry for late updating. I've been really tired and lacking ideas, but I'm still going to work on it! (thursday, june 21) hmm...ooh, I have a great idea! Muahahahahaha...*

Suddenly, the floor dropped from underneath my feet. I screamed and fell for about two seconds. Once I hit the ground, pain ran through my legs and I stumbled to a sitting position. Once the dust from the fallen floor and me hitting the dirt cleared up, I looked up to see how far I had fell. Link's head appeared in the new opening. It appeared to be the size of a small walnut from where I was at.

"Are you okay?" He yelled down at me.

I stood up and tested my legs to see if they were broken. They weren't, but they hurt pretty bad. My arm also felt more sore than it already was; I had realized this when I had pushed myself back up.

"Um, yeah, I think so," I called back at him.

"I'm going to look for something you can hookshot to and pull yourself back up." He dissapeared and I heard his footsteps, indicating that he was walking away.

I sighed and dusted off my clothing. While doing so, I noticed that the hole I had fell in was very wide and open. There was a strange white object in a rounded corner. I stared at it a bit, trying to figure out what it was. It was large, sort of round and mostly opaque with a bit of transparency, indicating it was some kind of layered object. Then I noticed it was attached to long, white strands. I felt chills down my spine.

It was most definetely a giant spider's egg sack.

I slowly backed away from it. If there was one thing I was very afraid of, it was spiders. More importantly, skulltulas. After hearing the stories of the giant spider-monsters that can and most likely will kill a human being, I never wanted to see one in real life. I went as far as learning as much as I could about them so I would know how to avoid them, even though they have never came near Graces. They usually stayed deep in the woods. Only village protectors have ever came in contact with one as far as the village was concerned.

I silentlt hoped that Link would arrive quicker. Even though I was perfectly capable of doing so, I didn't want to defend myself from a skultulla or a giant spider. I would be too scared to, anyway.

"Found something!"

I looked up and let out a deep breath of relief. Link had managed to drag a thick branch here.

"Listen, you better be grateful! This was very, very, very heavy." He seemed to be breathing heavily.

"Yeah, yeah, now hurry up and toss down the hookshot!" I urged on. He sighed and tossed it at me. I caught it. But while I was preparing to release the chain, I heard Link shout, "Look out!" As soon as he said that, a black leg stomped into the ground beside me. I froze and slowly turned my head around to see a skulltula looking at me. I screamed and ran to the other side.

"Use the hookshot and aim it at it's belly!" He shouted at me. I quickly brought it up parallel to the ground with both hands around the handle, shaking like I had been dipped in freezing cold water with only a bathing suit on. When the skulltula raised another leg to hit me with, I squeezed my eyes shut and released the chain, hearing the monster shriek in pain. I peeked open one eye and saw that it hadn't died, but a gross-looking dark liquid was oozing from where I had hit it. I released the chain again and it shrieked again, this time falling onto the ground. It dissapeared in a puff of black and purple smoke.

"Wha...? It just dissapeared?" I wondered aloud. I let out a deep breath right after and noticed my heart was beating almost out of control. I felt a bit of sweat on my forehead as well.

"Yeah, I saw one of the moblins do that when I got a hold of it right before I chased the others off yesterday," Link said from above.

"Uh-huh," I breathed. I looked up and aimed the hookshot and the thick branch. I saw Link place his foot on it, as if he was holding it steady. I let the chain fly towards the branch and it attached to the wood. I soon went flying upwards. The next thing I knew, I was holding onto the branch and pulling myself up. I let out a sigh of relief when I stood up on the hard and hopefully steady floor.

"Are you still okay?" Link asked.

I glanced at him. "Does it seem like it? I was almost eaten by a giant spider! And I don't like spiders at all!" I handed him the hookshot and wrapped my arms around myself.

"Well, if you don't like spiders, I suggest we leave. That skulltula's egg sack is hatching."

I gasped and looked back down the hole. As Link had said, there were skulltula babies starting to crawl out the sack. I immediately started running towards the next door and opened it quickly, rushing through to the other side, then I quickly closed and leaned against it, immediately forgetting about Link. Well, until he opened the door from behind me, causing me to stumble backwards.

"You could've at least waited for me, you know," he muttered when he walked through.

"Oh, whatever," I sighed and closed the door quickly again.

"You know also," he said, raising his voice a bit and turning around to look at me, "you should also be a bit nicer. I did save you back there after you fell. Oh, and I warned you about the skulltula and the egg sack hatching, but even though I did that, you still have the audacity to be rude to me? At least I am attempting to be nice to you. Can you at least try to do the same? I mean, we're probably going to be stuck together for a while, anyway. Might as well make the best of it, right?"

I gave him a look. "You skipped the part where I didn't ask to go on this journey with you. I was pratically forced."

"Well, if you were so 'forced' to come along, you could just leave right now, you know? You've had plenty of oppertunities to leave. You could just find your way back to Graces, but you haven't. So how does this make you forced?"

"As I said before, I'm not going back to Graces! So quit telling me to go back! I would go elsewhere, but you've already made a point of me not being able to go far without food or water because you're the one with the supplies, which you have threatened me with, in case you've forgotten."

"Well, you were kind of making me mad at that time," he retorted. "Oh, but I guess you don't really notice things like that, because everything revolves around you, doesn't it? Nothing you do is wrong, is that the way you see it?"

I bit my tongue to refrain from doing anything stupid and just simply said, "You know good and well that is not true. We've been over this once, Link, let's not do it again. Not unless you want another red handprint across your cheek."

"So that's how you're going to solve your problems? Just by hitting people who throw the truth into your face?"

"I do not use violence to solve my problems!"

"You just threatened to hit me!"

*that shape-shifting character from chapter 8 that I haven't revealed the name for yet's P.O.V.*

I just sat there in my guay form, watching the two teenagers bicker back and forth. It was really entertaining, seeing that they weren't going to get anywhere if they kept up the arguing. Master Tenebris would enjoy the fact that the two don't get along. It would work perfectly for Lord Ganondorf's plan.

I quietly flew out of an opening and flew all the way back to Freja's palace. I let out a call to let my master know I had arrived and sat in a window sill. I shifted back into my human form and waited. The end of my black cloak hung over the window and waved with the soft breeze.

"Blade! You're back!"

I glanced down the hallway. Nyx, my sister, was running towards me. Similar to how I was a master shape-shifter, she was a powerful witch. Lord Ganondorf had created us with powerful magic a few months ago (so Master Tenebris could have some assistance in carrying out Lord Ganondorf's plan), but it always felt like we had lived forever.

I got off the window sill to hug Nyx. The two of us were really close.

"So how's the mission going?" She asked excitedly, her black curls bouncing a bit.

"It's going pretty well; I just came back with new information for Master Tenebris to send to Lord Ganondorf."

"And what would this new information be?" A new voice sounded. I looked away from Nyx and looked at Master Tenebris. His light grey eyes were full with anticipation.

"The two do not get along."

He shifted his weight onto his right leg. "What do you mean, 'do not get along'?"

"Well," I started, "When I followed them to the Forest Temple, the girl had fallen and was attacked by a skulltula guarding it's egg sack. After she defended herself and defeated the skulltula, she was helped out of the hole she had fallen in when the egg sack started hatching. They had run off into another room, where they started arguing about the most pointless things. In a short version, it does not seem they can get anywhere without arguing. It was sort of entertaining, to say the least."

"This is very interesting...Lord Ganondorf will be pleased. The two's ancestors usually got along great, according to him. Good job, my pet. Now, carry on. Report to me when necessary." Master Tenebris turned around and left, pulling his hood over his head. I got back onto the window sill, getting ready to shape-shift again when Nyx pulled on my cloak.

"Leaving already?" She asked. She looked a bit sad.

"Don't worry, sister. Even though the mission calls me away a lot, I will be back periodically. I'll be sure to pay a longer visit next time, if Master Tenebris allows it."

"Oh, alright. Be careful, okay?"

"I will." I smiled at her and shape-shifted back into a guay. Guays were one of my favorite creatures to be. Most people didn't like them, so it made it even better. I took off and flew back to the Forest Temple to watch the two.

*Tenebris's P.O.V.*

I made my way to Lord Ganondorf's room to pass on the information. I imagined how pleased he would be while I knocked on his door.

"Enter," I heard him call from the other side.

I opened the door and saw him sitting with Miss Freja cuddled beside him. I quickly bowed to her and apologized for interuppting their conversation. "But," I said politely, "I have pleasing news from my pet."

"Carry on," Lord Ganondorf muttered. Miss Freja snuggled into him.

"According to my pet, Blade, the two who you are watching closely do not get along, unlike their ancestors, your past rivals. They can hardly get anything done without arguing."

"Hmm...this is interesting. Thank you for the information. You may leave now."

"Yes, Lord Ganondorf." I turned and left, closing the door quietly behind me.

*Author's note* FINALLY! I finished the chapter :D So so so so so sorry that it's wayyy later than I said it would be, I really am! Well, anyway, Disney was awesome (Tower of Terror and Rockin' Roller Coaster was awesome!) soooo yeah. On Monday and Tuesday, I tried to write, I really did. But nothing would come to mind and I was very tired, so I ended up watching PewDiePie, TobyGames, and chuggaaconroy (not for his walkthroughs, for fun). Wednesday, I went to Kings Dominion ALL DAY with my friend for her birthday (anyone ever heard of the Intimidator 305? It was freaking awesome!) and I did write like...two paragraphs in line while waiting for Flight of Fear. Yesterday (thursday) I wrote a lot and I finished this afternoon. So yeah. There's every reason why I updated later than I would say. Please don't murder me in my sleep...please? You won't? Yay! Okay, I'll stop writing now and leave you to read or do something else now. Bye!


	11. Chapter 11

*Link's P.O.V.*

I sliced the vines to open the way through the hallway. It had been a good fifteen to twenty minutes since Zelda and I had argued. Since then, neither of us had spoken a word.

Basically, the argument had gotten us nowhere but extremely ticked off at eachother. We had just wasted time by doing that. Zelda was also staying a good ten feet behind me. Which was perfectly fine by me. The farther away she is, the better.

There hadn't been many issues with monsters since the skultulla incident. The only real issue was watching my steps for any debris since the whole place was in ruins. I was starting to doubt that there was any evil in this place, despite what the Great Deku Tree had said.

'Has this whole thing become a waste of time?' I wondered.

We passed through another door to a somewhat dark room. There were platforms sticking up at random places, and the floor below the platforms seemed like a long drop. 'Well,' I thought, 'don't want to fall down, now, do we?'

As I jumped from platform to platform, I noticed something strange. Although the room was poorly lit, I could see a shadow growing underneath my feet. I stopped on the next platform and just stood there and watched the shadow grow for a couple of seconds. Then I felt a presence above me. Thinking fast, I grabbed my sword and swung it above me. I felt the blade come in contact with something. I looked up to see my sword slicing through a disembodied hand. Once it was cut through, the hand disintegrated into dark smoke.

'What in the world was that?' I wondered. 'And why do all the monsters dissapear into smoke?' I just shrugged the question off and continued with jumping on the platforms. Eventually, I reached a floor that wasn't a platform and started walking foward. There was another door to go through. I opened it and saw that there was a very large gap in the floor, where the floor just seemed to fall out, and that the room was a bit darker than the previous.

'Now it's starting to seem that each room is getting darker and darker,' I thought. I hoped that wasn't the case. My vision is really bad in the dark compared to most people.

I stepped into the room and walked over to the gap. I couldn't see the bottom, nor did I want to find out where it was, either. I looked across the room to figure out that the other side of the gap was too far for me to jump, so I looked around to see if there was a way across. The gap was as long as the room, and there wasn't any kind of bridge of some sort. The gap also was pretty wide the whole way, even though the width would vary in size. I squinted my eyes to look across the dark room and saw something I could use the hookshot to get across. As I pulled it out and prepared to release the chain, I heard the floor cracking. Then, I heard Zelda scream.

'What is she squealing about this time?' I thought as I looked towards where the scream came from.

I immediately took my thought back as I saw her holding on for dear life. She was dangling from the floor where it seemed to fall out from under her and she had managed to grab the edge just in time. I rushed over to help her out of her predicament. She looked at me, her eyes full of fear. I crouched and held out a hand.

"Here, grab my hand. I'll pull you out."

She shakily reached up one of her hands and grabbed mine. I tightened my grip around her hand and pulled her up. The girl was shaking badly once I got her completely out.

"Hey, um...are you okay?" I asked Zelda. "You're pretty shaken up."

She didn't respond. She just wrapped her arms around herself and shook her head.

"Well, I'm going to use the hookshot to get to the other side, then I'll toss it over. You can manage that, right?"

She shrugged. "I guess," she said with a shakey voice.

"Okay." 'Wow, that fall must have terrified her...'

I pointed the hookshot over to where I could use it, and as soon as I released the chain, the floor fell from under us. Without thinking, I grabbed Zelda after hearing her scream and held her tightly as the hookshot dragged us across the air and to the other side. We landed on more sturdy floor as well.

After the shock of actually making it wore off, I let go of Zelda and sighed, putting my hands on my knees and looking back across the gap. 'That was too close,' I thought.

I stood back up and asked Zelda again if she was okay. The next thing I knew, she hugged me tightly. She was still shaking terribly.

"Um..." Even though I still wasn't very fond of her, I could feel my ear tips heat up. But I became distracted from that when I noticed that Zelda, the one person who I thought would never show kindness or weakness, was crying.

"Hmm...what's wrong?"

She loosened her arms a bit. "I-I'm sorry..." She then backed away. "I didn't mean to do that. I was just..." She looked away, then turned around completely.

"Scared?" I finished for her.

She stayed silent for a moment. "...Yeah."

It was weird seeing Zelda like that, but it was definetely better than her always trying to be tough. 'Maybe Will was right,' I thought. 'Maybe she is not what I make her out to be...'

"But don't EVER grab me like that again!" She suddenly shouted and turned back around to look at me.

'Then again...'

I sighed. "Are we really going to go through this again? I saved your life back there."

Zelda looked as if she was about to spit back a reply, but then she looked down at the ground.

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks." Then she turned back around and walked to the next door.

'Did she just...thank me?' I wondered as she walked away. I started to follow her as I saw something move out the corner of my eye. A large, dark figure scurried across the ceiling and through a hole in the wall into the room we were about to go in.

"Wait," I whispered. "Something up there just went into that room."

Zelda glanced at me, then up at the ceiling. "What was it?"

"I don't know; I couldn't make it out. Be careful entering that room."

She nodded and opened the door slowly. It creaked a bit the more it opened. As we both entered the room, I noticed it was almost pitch black. I drew my sword and shield, then examined what I could see in the room. It was hard to focus on anything, though, since my vision was absolutely terrible in the dark.

"Do you see anything?" Zelda asked.

"I CAN'T see anything, more like it," I replied. "I have terrible vision in the dark. So, help me out and tell me if you spot anything."

"Okay."

After a few minutes of aimlessly walking around, I heard something scuffling around.

"Do you hear that?" I asked her.

"Yeah. It's coming from the ceiling."

Then, I heard what sounded like rocks breaking. Then, something heavy landed near me. I felt the ground shake as it landed. I turned to face whatever it was, and saw what it seemed to be a giant arachnid type rock monster with a yellow and orange eyeball peeking through the rocks. The eye was so bright, I didn't have trouble focusing on it, unlike everything else in the dark room.

"What in Hyrule is that?" Zelda shouted. The monster turned towards her, being alerted by her sound, and charged towards her. She gasped and ran away. I ran towards the monster and hit it with my sword, attempting to distract it. It worked, and it turned towards me and glared at me with it's yellow and orange gaze. I glared right back at it, formulating ideas in my head.

Suddenly, a small rock went zipping by the monster's leg. I saw Zelda throwing rocks at it.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"It's got to have a weak spot!" She shouted back. "That skulltula did; why not this freak too? Help me find it!"

I immediately thought of something. I sheathed my sword, put away my shield, and pulled out the hookshot, and aimed it at the monster's eye. Once it hit it, the monster shrieked and recoiled. I retreived the chain and Zelda gasped.

"Link, do that again when you get a chance! I think I found a weak spot!"

"The eye? That was simple."

"No, something else, but you have to hit the eye. Do it again!"

I sighed and readed the hookshot again. The monster looked at me again and I hit it with the hookshot again.

"Okay, keep the chain in it's eye! Oh, and I need your sword."

"What? Why?"

"Can you just toss it over here?" She looked at me. She was almost behind the monster.

"Fine." I switched the hookshot to my right hand and pulled out my sword. I tossed it low to the ground and she ran over to pick it up where it had landed. Then, the monster jerked around and got the chain out of it's eye. Zelda dodged the monster and got behind it.

"Do that again, but try to keep it in longer!"

"Do you realize how wrong that sounds?" I couldn't help but saying.

"You're gross, you know that? Seriously, get a move on!"

"I am, I am!" I repeated the hookshot action and again got the chain in the monster's eye. This time, I moved with it to attempt to keep the chain there. Suddenly, it screeched and collapsed onto the ground, also dissapearing into smoke like everything else had done.

Zelda walked over to me. "Here's your sword back." I looked at it. It was covered in a dark liquid.

"There was an opening in the back of it. When you hit the eye, it was revealed, but only if the eye had something in it. So, while you had the thing distracted, I attacked the opening. Turns out, it was some kind of heart. I figured that out when I stabbed it and a heart-like object came with the sword."

I gave her a disgusted look. "And you call me gross." I took the sword back and pulled out a cloth from my pouch and wiped off the liquid from my sword. I didn't want any kind of blood stain on it.

"Well, what you said was gross."

"Technically, you said it, I just commented."

She sighed. "Quit being such a smart-alec."

Suddenly, a bright green light enveloped the room. I shielded my eyes from the sudden light until it dimmed down. There was a woman now in the room with green hair, pale skin, and a light green dress. She looked up at us with her bright green eyes.

"I am the spirit of Farore."

I gasped. "As in the Goddess Farore?"

She nodded. "I've been trapped here for a very, very long time. Ever since the dictators have take over the lovely land of Hyrule."

"How?" Zelda asked. "If you're a goddess, how could you have been trapped here for over three hundred years?"

"It's all Ganondorf's doing." Farore sighed. "After all, he's the one who started the dictatorship. He has this thing all planned out. That's just how badly he wants Hyrule. It's strange though. We had thought the Hero of Twilight finally killed him. But, that's not the case. He also managed to get ahold of the Triforce of Power again. I'm not sure how, though. But, thankfully, we had managed to create both of your destinies before he got a hold of us and kept us each in different temples." She looked away. "The two of you were also supposed to be blessed with a piece of the Triforce, but seeing our predicament, we weren't able to give them to you. I can only hope that they are still in the Sacred Realm without Ganondorf ever having touched them."

She looked back at us. "Well, I hoped I answered your question." She smiled. "I would love to help you out some more, but I really need to return to the Sacred Realm now. I will hopefully be able to give you, Link, the Triforce of Courage once I return."

I stood there, shocked. Not only was I in the presence of the Goddess Farore herself, but she was going to give me a piece of the legendary Triforce. "Y-you don't have to do that..."

"Oh, but I must. I had already chosen you long before you were born, anyway."

"Well, may we at least ask one more question?" Zelda asked.

"I suppose, but I must hurry, so I'll have to make it quick."

"Where can we find your sisters?"

Farore looked down and closed her eyes. "I can somewhat feel their presence in a volcano...and the depths of a lake. That's all I can tell. Now, I must go. Thank you for saving me, and please hurry to my beloved sisters." With that, she dissapeared and a blue circle appeared where she once stood.

"What is that?" Zelda wondered aloud.

I shrugged. "Let's find out." I sheathed my sword and walked over, Zelda following close behind. Once my foot set inside it, a blue diamond shape enveloped around us and lifted upwards. I don't remember what happened then, but then I ended up back in front of the tree we used to get up into the temple with.

"Hey, you guys did come back!" Folan said and walked towards us. "Come on, we have to go tell the Great Deku Tree!" He started running excitedly.

I started after him, but Zelda stopped me.

"Hey, um...sorry for being rude in there."

I tilted my head.

"I know, I was wrong to snap at you when you saved me twice. And since I don't really plan on going back to Graces, I guess I'll stick with you throughout the journey. So...um...truce?" She held out her hand.

I looked at it, then back at her. I smiled and shook her hand.

"Truce."

*author's note* Yall have no clue just how fun this was to write! First off, Thank you, alfred pierce, for helping me with the boss's design. Seriously, that guy is awesome.

anyway, i have an idea for yall. I'm also doing this for A New Legend. So, I wanna do a character interview with Link and Zelda with questions asked by you guys! Just put a question in the comments for the next few chapters. One rule: You can't ask them why they don't like eachother. that will be explained in a later chapter. Okay, so, ask away! I will post the interview when I feel I have plenty of questions. I will also do this again at the end of the story, just for fun. ookaaay, so until next time, ¡adios!


	12. Chapter 12

*author's note* just wanna say thanks to those people who have already given questions for the character interview :D I only have four questions though, so please, everyone, ask link and zelda some questions (again, except why they don't get along, that will be later explained)! the character interview question asker thingy will still be open until after next chapter. so, in other words, when chapter 13 comes around, that is your last chance to ask them questions. I would like at least ten (but more is always awesome), sooo, yeah. If anyone wants to ask more than one question, that is completely fine! okay, well, I'm gonna write now, so bye!

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

After I had made a truce with Link, I somehow felt better. I still didn't think of him any differently, but it just felt better to do that. I mean, he was trying to be nice to me, so I guess I should try as well.

We followed Folan through the almost hour long walk through the forest to the Great Deku Tree. Once we arrived there, Folan ran to the giant tree excitedly.

"Great Deku Tree! They did it! They got rid of the monster in the temple!"

I smiled. Evem though he was the leader of the Kokiris, he was still a child.

"Excellent news, Folan," the Great Deku Tree said happily. "I am glad to hear the two of you were able to do so."

"This calls for a celebration!" Folan exclaimed. "Can we, Great Deku Tree?"

"But the other Kokiri didn't know about the dangers, remember? Only you did."

"Oh. I forgot. Sorry." He went from excited to downcast in those few seconds.

"Oh, but Folan, the summer celebration starts in a month. Don't you have a few things you can prepare? Like, some festive music, for example."

"Oh, right!"

"So, don't be so downcast. You'll have a celebration soon. Anyway, thank you two for ridding the temple of the evil that I sensed in there."

Link shrugged with a grin. "It's no problem. But, did you realize that the goddess Farore herself was trapped in there?"

"Is that so? This brings a bad feeling to me. Did she mention where her sisters might be trapped?"

I nodded. "She said something about a volcano and a lake."

"Then there is no time to lose. You must hurry to the mountains in the north east. There is a volcano there where the Gorons live by the name of Death Mountain. I fear that the longer you wait, the worse the situation will get. You may rest for a bit, though, and take care of your arm, Zelda. It looks rough. But once you leave, you might not be able to return since the forest is hidden."

"I understand. Thank you, Great Deku Tree," Link said. "We understand the hurry. We won't stay long."

We followed Folan out to the village, where he led us to two other Kokiri, who were both girls.

"These two, Juniper and Brooke, will tend to the wound on your arm. I'm afraid that's all we can do, though."

"It's fine," Link said. "We have enough supplies for now."

"Okay. Well, thank you for everything. I wish you a safe journey." With that, Folan turned around and left.

One of the Kokiri girls tugged on my sleeve. "Come on. Brooke and I are supposed to take care of your arm."

I smiled. The two girls were adorable. "Okay." They led me inside a treehouse. I heard Link say he would get Epona ready. Once inside the treehouse, I was sat down on a small bench. One of the girls unwrapped the old bandage while another wet a rag.

"So, which one of you is Juniper, and which one is Brooke?" I asked.

"I'm Juniper," the one unwrapping my arm said.

"And I'm Brooke. Juniper is my sister. We both are the village healers."

"Yep," Juniper smiled. "Whenever someone gets hurt, we take care of them!"

"Oh, how nice." Juniper had blonde hair while Brooke had brown, and they both had brown eyes. They were also both wearing green dresses, hairbands, and brown boots, which seemed like the usual style of a Kokiri.

"So, where are you from? And how did your arm get hurt?" Juniper asked, throwing away the old bloody bandage.

"I'm from a village that's somewhere in the...west, I think. And I was shot with an arrow by a monster back in Hyrule Field," I explained.

"Ouch, that sounds like it hurt," Brooke sympathized, rolling up my blood-stained sleeve and cleaning the wound. "How long ago was this?"

"Um, yesterday...yeah. It was yesterday."

"Wow. It's a good thing you're getting it taken care of now. It looks like it was starting to get infected."

The knowledge of these girls surprised me a bit. They were only children, even though they were probably older than me, but they knew a lot for children.

"So, what is your name?" Juniper asked.

"Zelda."

"Oh, that name sounds pretty! How old are you, Zelda?"

"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen in about six months."

"Really?" Juniper's eyes went wide. "Do Hylians really grow so big at such a young age?"

I shrugged. "It depends. Some people are really short, while some are really tall. I'm just around the middle, so I guess you could say I'm the average height for my age."

"Wow. Well, I guess it's a bit weird for us, because we never see anyone that isn't Kokiri."

"Yeah." Brooke spoke up. "But the last time was pretty recent. There was a man who actually came here." She started to wrap my arm in a new bandage. "It was just over nkine years ago, I believe. He was pretty lost. We don't know how he got here, though. Only people destined to see Kokiri Forest come here. Well, that's what the Great Deku Tree told us, anyway."

"Anyway," Juniper took over talking, "He said he was looking for monsters and was shocked to see only kids. But Folan took him to the Great Deku Tree to see what he was to do, but it turns out there was some kind of mistake."

"Mhm." Brooke started talking again. "Folan told us that the Great Deku Tree had been expecting someone and and his senses mistook that man for someone else."

"Senses?" I asked.

"Yeah. The Great Deku Tree knows who is and isn't destined to see the forest, and when he senses someone near, and if it's someone who is supposed to be here, he lets them in. Anyway, he mistook him for someone else."

Juniper spoke up. "And I guess that he mistook him for the boy you came with. I don't know anything else about it, though."

Brooke finished wrapping the bandage. "You might want to get a new shirt when you can. The one you're wearing now has a lot of blood on it and a rip from where the arrow hit you."

I nodded. "Thank you. Anyway, how do you know that the man was mistaken as Link?"

Juniper smirked. "Because we haven't had to give you amnesia."

"Amnesia?"

She nodded. "Yeah. The Great Deku Tree didn't want the man spreading the word about us, so we were instructed to feed him Forgetful Berries. They give you amnesia. So, he doesn't remember us and now he's somewhere else. It's obvious the two of you were needed for something important and that he trusts you."

Brooke nodded. "Yeah. Also, the man was also pretty banged up, too. We had to patch him up really good, and Forgetful Berries also help with healing, so it was basically a two in one deal. Anyway, you should get going. Your friend is probably ready to leave. Oh, and clean that wound every night until it has scarred up really good."

"Yeah, and don't forget to replace the bandages," Juniper added.

I smiled and thanked them once again. I left the treehouse and saw Link standing beside Epona. He was smoothing her fur and mane. When he saw me, he spoke.

"Are you ready to leave?"

I nodded. He grabbed Epona's reins and started to leave the forest. Some of the children were still scared of us and hid away, but some waved goodbye. I waved back and followed Link out. Once out of the village, I looked back to see that you wouldn't be able to tell if there was a village there or not.

'The Great Deku Tree was serious about keeping it hidden, huh?' I thought.

"I asked for directions back to Hyrule Field. Once we get there, we should be able to find our way to the mountains," Link said.

"Okay." I responded.

It was about a thirty minute trek back to the field. But once we had arrived there, I realized just how vast it was. I didn't really get a good look at it yesterday. I then saw the mountains in the distance. There was smoke pummeling into the sky as well.

Link climbed onto Epona's saddle. "It will be faster on horseback. This way, we might be able to get there before nighttime, set up camp, and make the hike up in the morning."

"You do realize that Kakariko Village is at the base of the mountain, right? So we could just find an inn instead."

He shrugged. "Either way is fine, I suppose. Now, hurry up and get on, unless you plan on walking."

I groaned, not really wanting to be that close to him, seeing that saddles usually only seat one person. "First thing we are getting at Kakariko is another horse," I muttered and reluctantly climbed onto Epona.

After the long and VERY uncomfortable ride, we arrived at Kakariko Village as the sun was starting to touch the horizon. The place was smaller than Graces, but it had a lot of people. It was very crowded. Also, there were no Hylians in sight. I hopped off the horse and Link followed. We passed a stable where we dropped off Epona. The guy watching over the stables stared at us. When Link handed him some rupees to pay for Epona's rent, he asked, "Are you two Hylian?"

Link nodded with an eyebrow raised up questioningly.

"Are...are there more o' y'all?"

I nodded. "Yeah, back at home. Our whole village has nothing but Hylians." What was with this guy? His accent was strange, too.

"Well, I'll be...that means y'all really aren't going extinct! I've only seen one o' yer kind before, and I thought he was the last o' y'all. He lives here, too. It's strange, though. We were all taught in school that y'all's kind was 'bout gone. I wonder if they knew all o' y'all still existed...anyway, enjoy yer, uh, stay here in Kakariko."

Link and I made our way out the stables.

"He sounds weird," Link commented.

"No kidding. I wonder if all of Kakariko's residents sound like that."

"I'm morw curious about that man he was talking about. If these people think that the Hylian race is on the brink of extinction, I wonder how he lives."

I noticed people starting to stare at us. "Yeah, that's a good question. Now I see why the merchants from our village wear cloaks with large hoods."

"It is understandable now."

As we walked further into the crowded village looking for an inn, the more and more people stared at us. I saw some whispering the people they were standing beside with wide eyes.

"I feel like an outcast," I murmured.

Suddenly, a man pushed through the crowd and stopped in front of us. Surprisingly, this man was a Hylian.

"There you two are! It's about time you arrived. I've been waiting for you all day!"

I gave a bewildered look, as well as Link.

"You know, it's me, your uncle!" He then mouthed, "Just go along with it."

"Oh, yes, I almost didn't recognize you, uncle! Forgive me," I acted out the part. Link just stood there in silence. I elbowed him. "Cousin, it's our uncle, the one our mothers told us about."

"O-oh, yeah. They showed us a pictograph of you," he stuttered. I mentally sighed. He is a terrible actor.

"Come, come. Follow me." He turned around. We followed him to a small house on the outskirts of Kakariko, away from the crowd.

"Sorry about that. It seemed the two of you were getting uncomfortable with all that staring. So I decided to jump in and save you two."

"Yeah, thanks for that. What's with those people, anyway?" I asked

"I'm the only Hylian most of them have ever seen. They believe our kind is endangered. It's strange, I know."

"So you live here?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I have been for just over nine years."

"The guy with the weird accent in the stables said something about you."

"Poncho? Yeah. He's a good guy. All Kakarikans talk like that, though. Anyway, come inside! It's getting dark out and if you need a place to stay, you're welcome to stay here."

"Oh, we couldn't do-"

"Of course you can! The inn here isn't the best place to stay at anyway, and I have plenty of room."

I shrugged. "Alright, if you insist." The man smiled and opened his door. I then noticed Link was being really unusually quiet.

We all walked in and I took in my surroundings. The man had a cozy little home. There was only a few pieces of furniture in what looked like a conbined living and dining room, but then again, it was probably just him living here.

"So, what are y'all's names?"

"I'm Zelda." I looked at Link to see if he would introduce himself, but he seemed lost in thoughts. I rolled my eyes. "And that's Link."

"Is he usually like this?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Not that I know of."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a very long story."

"Maybe y'all can tell me about it. Anyway, I'm Matthew. What brings the two of you to Kakariko?"

"That's also a long story. I won't be able to tell you all of it, though, but I can tell some of it." I remembered Grandfather telling me that no one was to know what we were doing on our quest.

"Sounds fair. Anyway, you and Link make yourself at home. I'll go prepare some supper."

"Oh, you don't have to. We brought our own food."

"I insist. Besides, what kind of person would I be to invite you into my home and not treat you with hospitality?" He didn't give me time to answer. Instead, he just walked into another room that I assumed was a kitchen, closing a door behind him.

I sighed. I then heard Link snap his fingers, muttering, "That's it!"

I raised an eyebrow. "What's it?"

He looked at me. "I know that guy from somewhere. And I just figured out where. I hardly believe it, but I think that guy..." He lowered his voice into a whisper.

"I think that's my father!"

I rolled my eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. I doubt it."

He suddenly put his hands on my shoulders. "Don't you see it? My father had light red hair and blue eyes and that man has light red hair and blue eyes. He looks just like my Aunt Olah. His name is Matthew, like my father's. And that ring on his left hand is definetly a wedding ring that was made in Graces by the jewlers. It has their trademark symbol engraved on it."

I narrowed my eyes and pushed his hands off. "Just because I asked for a truce does not give you any kind of permission to randomly touch me like that. I still don't like you. Anyway, how are you so sure? I thought your parents died back in the raid, along with most of everyone else's."

He shook his head. "My mother was killed. My father was assumed dead after he went after the monsters because the searchers couldn't find them."

I shrugged. "Well, what are you going to do about it? He obviously didn't recognize you."

He thought about it for a moment. "Well, I know how to at least prove it. My mother once showed me that on the inside of their wedding rings is each other's names. So, we should ask him about the ring on his finger. I think that is the best bet."

I shrugged. "If you say so."

"Oh, and also...if you still don't like me - not that I have a problem with that or anything - then why did you ask for a truce?" He asked.

I shrugged. "I'm going to be stuck with you for while, so why not? It will just make the journey easier for us to not argue all the time."

"You have a point." He sat down in a chair after taking off the holster for his sword and sheild. "By the way, the feeling's mutual."

I tilted my head. "Huh?"

He chuckled. "I still don't like you either."

I crossed my arms. "Good to know." I sat down on the couch.

A few moments later, Matthew came out with three bowls filled with great smelling soup. He set the bowls on the dining room table. I moved to the table, followed by Link, who had been fidgeting for the past few minutes. I wondered if he really thought Matthew was his father who had dissapeared nine years ago. Though, what he had pointed out earlier did make sense. And there was a bit of resemblance between the two.

We sat down and ate the soup quietlfy for a bit before Link asked, "Is that a wedding ring?"

Was he really going off of that idea?

Matthew looked at the ring on his hand. "Yeah. It's strange though, I don't remember having a wife."

I raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean, you don't remember?"

"Well, I honestly don't remember anything before living here. The earliest thing I remember is waking up in Hyrule Field and a merchant from here finding me. The only things I remembered were my name, how to talk, and how to use a sword properly, but I don't remember ever learning how to use one. I also sometimes get these strange flashbacks of people I don't recognize. They are mainly about this beautiful blonde woman running happily, but then she gets torn to pieces by some sort of monster, and then I'm running into the forest. Some have a blonde boy in them, and he looks a bit like the woman. But I don't recognizd either of them. It's strange."

I immediately started thinking about the man Juniper and Brooke told me about. They said they had given him amnesia...

Link asked another question. "This...may sound strange, but is there a...a name carved in the inside of the ring?"

Matthew shrugged. "I've never looked. But, if your curious..." He took off the ring and looked. "Actually, there is. Caroline."

Link gasped. He had the biggest smile ever stretched across his face and his eyes were tearing up a bit.

"I...I can't believe it. You're alive! And they thought you were dead after you dissapeared!"

Matthew cast me a confused look. I just looked at Link, finding it sort of hilarious how he was acting.

"There's no mistaking it. That's my mother's name. She was blonde. And she was...killed by monsters. You went running off to kill the monsters who did that to her and you never came home. You have to be my father, you must be."

Matthew seemed to process what just happened. "So you're saying...are you my son? The boy in my strange flashbacks?"

Link nodded wildly. "Your description and your name...and the ring, it matches perfectly."

"What was your name again?"

"Link, my name is Link."

"Your name does sound very familiar now that I think about it...but I'm so sorry. I really don't remember you."

I swear, I've never seen someone's happiness fall faster.

*author's note* I wrote this in one day. UN DÍA. Yep. I almost left yall at a cliffhanger and make yall figure out what Link was about to say who Matthew was. So, are any of yall surprised? lol. anyway, don't forget about the character interview and until next time, ¡adios!


	13. Chapter 13

*author's note* this chapter is probably going to take me all week to write since I'm in Gatlinburg until Saturday, but I'm going to write when I'm not doing anything so I can update as soon as I get back (*a week later* ...yeah, that didnt happen) OH, and it's your last chance to ask questions for yge character interview, which I am posting NEXT CHAPTER! ask Link and Zelda anything except why they don't like eachother. anyway, I should start writing for real now.

*Link's P.O.V.*

After supper, which was cuccoo noodle soup, we were shown to a guest room that had two beds and a small window. The beds were comfy and the blankets looked warm. But I wasn't tired yet. I was antsy and honestly did not feel like sleeping. I was still worked up about what had happened earlier. I was so sure that Matthew was my father, I mean, he fit the bill completely and entirely. But he couldn't remember. How could he not remember me?

I sighed and set all of my stuff that I had brought into the room down. "I'm taking a walk," I muttered and left, not waiting for Zelda to respond. I walked out of the house. But, instead of walking, I just stood a few feet away and stared at the ground. The air was cool and there was a warm, relaxing breeze. I just stood there, listening to the crickets chirp, before I heard the door opening.

"I thought you were taking a walk," Zelda inquired.

I shrugged. "Why do you care?"

"Well, I was going to sit out here for a minute, thinking you would be off walking somewhere, but instead, you're standing here."

"Sorry for changing my mind, then," I snapped.

"Excuse me," she mumbled. "Anyway, I guess it's a good thing you're still here. I should probably tell you this."

I sighed. "Tell me what?"

She stood beside me. "I think I know why your, um...father doesn't remember you."

"Yeah, sure you do," I scoffed. "Enlighten me, then, why don't you?"

She moved to in front of me and gave me a glare. "I wasn't lying."

I crossed my arms. "I did say enlighten me."

"But you accused me of lying before that."

"And...?"

"I wasn't lying."

I took in a deep breath. "Okay, I get it, whatever! You weren't lying, okay? Happy now?" I said that a little louder than I meant, but I was starting to get ticked off.

"You should probably watch your tone-"

"-Oh, so now your going to act like my mother, huh?"

"I wasn't acting like anyone!"

"Oh, that's right, because being bossy is your natural personality."

"I am not bossy."

"Are you ever going to tell me what you were originally going to say?" I asked, referring to the beginning subject.

"You changed the subject."

"No, I didn't. You were the one who-"

"Um...I don't mean to interrupt, but are you two alright?" I heard Matthew ask from behind. "I can hear the both of you all the way inside."

I looked at him and shrugged. "Sorry."

"It's fine, but seriously, I'm sure all of Kakariko can hear you. Y'all argue like an old couple." With that, he went back inside, closing the door behind him.

"I told you that you should've watched your tone," Zelda muttered.

I let out an irritated sigh and glared at her. "You just love the satisfaction of being right, don't you? Even when you're wrong, you make yourself believe you are right just so you can feel that satisfaction."

She gave me an evil look. "Excuse me? How can you judge me like that when you don't even KNOW me?"

"I'm pretty sure I've been around you long enough to figure it out."

"It's only been like...two days!"

"Have you forgotten we live in the same village?"

"So? We're never around eachother."

"I know. I've always made sure of that."

Zelda gave a confused look and stood up straighter. "You have?"

"Yeah, obviously."

"Oh. I thought it was always me avoiding you."

I shrugged. "Well, it isn't," I stated.

We stood there in silence before I turned around and went back inside without a word. I walked to the guest bedroom and took off everything but my pants, due to habit of how I sleep, also because sleeping with everything on was uncomforable, which I had learned last night, then curled up under the blankets of the bed I was sleeping in for the night.

*next morning*

I woke up to the sound of a cuckoo crowing and layed there for a few minutes, not really wanting to get up. The bed was quite comfortable and the blankets were warm.

I heard the door open. "Link, hurry up and get up. Matthew has fixed breakfast and yours is getting cold," I heard Zelda say.

I groaned and put my head under the pillow.

I heard her sigh with annoyance. The next thing I knew, the chilly air covered me as she yanked off the blanket. "I said, get u-"

I sat up and glared at her. "I WAS warm, thanks." But instead of responding, she just stared at me. I raised an eyebrow, then realized she was staring at my bare chest. Her mouth was slightly agape.

"Excuse me," I muttered. "You might like what you see, but please stop staring. I don't go around staring at your chest."

She snapped out of her gaze and shook her head. "Just...put on some clothes and come eat," she snapped and quickly walked out of the room.

Sighing, I pulled on my undershirt, tunic, and boots, not worrying about anything else at the moment, then walked to the dining room table. I quietly ate my breakfast, which consisted of eggs and sausage, and listened to Zelda talk to Matthew.

"Thanks for your hospitality, Matthew."

"Oh, it's not a problem. Besides, it's definetely not everyday that I see Hylians out in the open. Usually, the Hylian merchants stay covered. Why is that? I mean, is it because of the staring they did to you two? I don't see why they're staring, though; they see me everyday."

"Well, that guy in the stables said he thought we were an almost extinct race. But were not. There's a whole village of us south of here."

"How big is this village?"

Zelda shrugged. "Umm...well, if you compare it to here, it's about three-fourths the size."

"Population?"

"Last census said approximately three hundred and fifty people."

Matthew leaned back in his chair. "How do you know these things?"

"The mayor is my grandfather," Zelda said a bit proudly.

"Mayor's granddaughter, huh? Then why are you all the way out here instead of with your grandfather?"

She shrugged. "It's a long story."

"Speaking of which, y'all never told me what you were doing in Kakariko in the first place."

"We have to head up to the mountians for something," I said quietly.

"The mountians? I wouldn't go there . It's way too dangerous. There's a volcano that's been slowly letting out small eruptions, and they've been getting worse and worse. Plus, the Gorons aren't exactly fond of humans. Well, since the dictators have been destroying their home selfishly for resources."

Zelda tilted her head. "What resources?"

"Metal, minerals, gems, anything you can find in mountains. Oh, and their hot spring water. It all goes to building Castle Town into a fortress. I've also heard they're doing similar things to Zora's Domain and Lake Hylia. Anyway, I wouldn't even try climbing the mountains."

"I think you misunderstood me," I said calmly. "We HAVE to head up the mountains. There's um...something we have to get."

He rested his arms on the table. "And what is this something?"

Zelda spoke up. "We can't exactly tell you."

"Oh. Is that so?" Matthew looked down a slight bit. Then his eyes flickered towards me. "I suppose it has something to do with that mark on your left hand?"

I dropped my eating utensil and looked at my left hand. Indeed, there was a mark on it. It was the mark of the Triforce.

"So she kept her promise after all..." Zelda muttered.

'I guess she did,' I thought.

"You two aren't really normal kids, are you?" Matthew asked. "Whatever business you have in the mountains must be pretty important."

"First off, we're not kids," I retorted. "I'm almost eighteen, and I'm pretty sure she is almost eighteen, too." I could sense Zelda giving me a questioning look, but I ignored it. "And yes, what we have to do in the mountains is important and it has to do with this." I held up my hand. Then I stood up. "Thank you for your hospitality, but we should probably be going soon."

"Wait," he stood up as well. "I may not remember anything before around nine years ago, but I know that's not just some mark. That's the Triforce, isn't it? So this kind of...mission or whatever y'all are on has something to do with the entirety of Hyrule, doesn't it?"

I stared at him. "How did you figure that out?"

"I'm not really sure. It was a hunch, I suppose. But for someone to have the mark of the Triforce...I've only read stories about it at the library, but I know that you are destined for greatness." He hesitated for a moment. "You know, it's a shame that the stories I've read never mentioned the hero's name. You know, the one who also had the mark of the Triforce. Anyway, I'm sure that whatever you do for Hyrule, your name will be in place of that hero."

I stood there speechless. For someone who couldn't remember most of his past, Matthew sure had deep insight. An ironic thing was that I shared the hero's name, a name that he and my mother gave me himself, and he couldn't even remember it.

"I'm also sorry that I can't remember you," he continued, "or most of my past, for that matter." He walked around the table and put his hand on my shoulder. "But, Link...even if i can't remember you as my son, I will pray for your safety on your journey as if I could remember you."

I felt a small smirk crawl on my face. "Thank you."

*later, outside of Kakariko*

Hiking up the mountains was terrible. Not that it was difficult to hike up it or anything, but it was getting hot. Matthew had given us some supplies for the trip, despite mine and Zelda's refusals. So, I ended up with a bag on my back on top of my sword and shield, which made hiking a bit harder.

"I wonder what Matthew meant by the Gorons not being fond of humans..." Zelda said.

I didn't respond immideately. "...Not sure. But my guess is that they won't be happy to see two humans pass through their territory. Besides, he did say some people were destroying their home."

"Yeah."

We hiked the rest of the way in silence. It was most likely right after noon when we arrived to the most horrendous sight I've ever seen.

From where we were standing, we could see the whole of what was supposed to be a place for Gorons to live happily. Instead, the whole place was torn to peices and there were no Gorons in sight. There were fallen rocks everywhere and there were people down there with mining tools, picking away at rocks.

"Dear Farore, Matthew wasn't kidding," I heard Zelda mutter.

"We're going to have to find a way around," I stated. "There's no way we're going to be able to get through this without some kind of trouble."

"Hey! This place is off limits to everyone!" A scruff voice said from behind us. I turned around to see a worker. He was about my height and had dark brown hair with a bit of stubble on his chin. Well, so much for avoiding trouble.

"We aren't trying to cause any trouble," I said to the man. "We're just trying to pass through the mountains."

"Yeah, right. You're probably part of that goddess forsaken rebellion group. Now get out of here before I alert security." He crossed his arms and stared me down. I held up my hands, playing it cool, and walked off.

"Ah, but not you, missy." I heard a shuffle of feet. I turned around to see the man holding Zelda's arm. "Do you know how lonely us men get out here, all alone without women?"

A grimace formed on her face. She tried to jerk her arm away, but he had a tight grip. So she then tried to swing a punch, but he caught her hand.

"No, no, no, that's not very nice of you, now, is it?"

Zelda glared at him then glanced at me. I said calmly, "Let her go."

He turned his head to look at me. "Or what?" Suddenly, Zelda brought her leg up and kicked the man in the shin hard. He let go of her with a yelp and glared at her.

"You whore!" He lunged at her, but she dodged and ran in my direction. The man ran after her, but I stopped him, giving Zelda a chance to get away. I grabbed his shirt and looked him in the eye.

"You asked us to get out of here, didn't you? Now, how about you leave us alone before someone gets hurt."

"You sure got some big talk for a youngin'. You even got some weapons to back it up, huh?"

I narrowed my eyes, as if daring him to challenge me.

"But, whatever. I need to get back to work anyway. Have fun with that whore of yours. Cross me again, however," he narrowed his eyes as well, "and you won't be able to leave."

"Leave, you pig," I growled and let him go. "And she's not a whore."

He adjusted his shirt and turned around to go back to wherever he came from. I turned around also and caught up with Zelda. She was standing near an opening and was staring through it.

"I found the Gorons," I heard her say as I approached her. I looked through the opening and saw the sight. It was even worse than the previous with the workers. I could only see a few, but they were in bad shape. There were also a couple of workers seeming like they were giving them orders and hitting them with whips.

"This is terrible," she continued. "We need to help them."

I looked at her. "How are we supposed to help them? We'll probably get turned away. Seeing this, they'll probably think that we're with them."

She sighed. "I know. But isn't the next goddess in a volcano?"

I nodded. "That's what Farore said."

"Well, look." She pointed at a billow of smoke. "That's obviously a volcano. I think the Gorons might have some kind of connection with it. I mean, the mountains are their home. Well, it's supposed to be. So, we should help them in some way. That way, we might be able to find a safe way into the volcano."

I pondered that for a moment. "You do have a point. I guess it's worth a try."

She nodded and we started to find a way down the mountain towards the Gorons.

"By the way, are you okay? That man didn't hurt you, did he?" I asked her.

She scoffed. "He wouldn't have hurt me anyway. He wouldn't have a chance."

"Oh, really?" I questioned. "So I didn't need to stop him from chasing you?"

She rolled her eyes. "You would've done it anyway."

I stopped walking. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Zelda sighed. "Now that you've got this whole quest on your shoulders, you've been acting more like some kind of hero. Even though it's only been three days so far, you've changed a lot. You're not acting like the annoying boy I don't like in Graces; you're acting responsible and like you have to do everything for everyone."

I raised an eyebrow. "Where did that come from? My personality hasn't changed."

"Yes, it has."

"Well, how come you've noticed, then? For someone who doesn't like me, you've payed a lot of attention to me."

"For someone who doesn't like me, you were quick to defend me after you grabbed that guy," she shot back.

"Well, he was wrong. Men shouldn't treat women or talk about them like that."

She didn't reply. Instead, she just walked past me and kept going. I shrugged and followed her.

*author's note* yyeeaaaahhhhh...sorry for not updating earlier this week like I said I would...but I hope this chapter was worth it. Anyway, don't forget about the character interview! I would like two more questions at least, so I'll have 10 questions. And trust me, this interview is going to be fun, so please ask more questions to make it even more fun! well, until next time, ¡adios!


	14. Chapter 14 (with character interview!)

*author's note* yes, it's finally time to upload the character interview! Trust me, it's gonna be interesting...*smirks* anyway, after the interview will be the actual chapter. Also, the interview will be written in a play format, but without bolds and italics (because I write on my phone and tablet, so if i were to edit it for bolds and italics, it would take waaayyyy too long and i have very little patience.) so yeah. enjoy!

me: Hey, yall! *waves* Welcome to my very first character interview! We are going to be interviewing Link and Zelda from my fanfic "The Forgotten Legend", in case yall haven't figured that out...which you should have, haha. Anyway, we have a total of eight questions. *mumbles something of would have liked more* 5 for Link and 3 for Zelda. So, let's get started! *snaps fingers, Link and Zelda appear*

Link: ...What? *has a confused look*

Zelda: Ugh, what did you do?

Link: I didn't do anything! I was hiking the mountains, just like you!

me: Okay, guys, shut up. Zelda, Link didn't do anything.

Zelda: Who in Hyrule are you?

me: The author of...well...your life. I control your every movement, emotion, thought...yeah.

Zelda: That's creepy. Now, for real, who are you?

me: *sigh* At this rate, we'll never get started. *snaps fingers*

*Link and Zelda sit down in magically appearing chairs*

me: Now, I am the author, and you are just the characters. We are in an interview. Your fans want to ask you some questions about you and your journey so far. ¿Entender?

Link: What was that last word?

me: It was Spanish for understand. I like saying random words in Spanish.

Zelda: And why do you sound like those people from Kakariko?

me: Because the residents of Kakariko have southern accents, like me. I wanted them to because I'm the author and I do what I want. Now, we need to start the interview before the readers get impatient. Bring in the first person!

*Beautified Disaster appears*

Beautified Disaster: I have two questions for Link and two for Zelda.

me: Thanks for being so generous with questions!

Beautified Disaster: Link, what made you want to become a swordman in the first place? Was it just to become a village protector?

Link: *still in a bit shock to as of what's all going on* Um, well, I actually trained to be a village protector because my father did. And my grandfather, great-grandfather...yeah, it keeps going as far back as Graces. It just runs in the family, I suppose. It also caught my interest when I was little. Besides, I also like practicing the art of swordplay.

Beautified Disaster: Also, how did you and Will meet and become friends?

Link: That is a very good question. We've been friends since we were really little. Our moms were good friends, I think. *shrugs* I really don't know how we're still friends, though. We're complete opposites. I guess we have just known each other for too long.

Beautified Disaster: Zelda, do you remember your parents at all? If so, what were they like?

Zelda: Hmm...well, I remember them a little bit. My father was the mayor and a village protector. He was killed in the monster raid when I was eight. Then my grandfather took back over the mayor duties. I don't really remember much about Father, though. He was always busy with things and never really had time for me and Tomas. My mother, on the other hand, was always around us. She was weak with sickness when the monster raid happened and she was killed trying to escape from them. Mother was always nice to everyone and things like that. She made really good stew, too.

me: Hey, that rhymed!

Zelda: Wow, someone's easily entertained...

me: Shush.

Beautified Disaster: Was there anyone you considered your friends back at your school?

Zelda: *nods* Yeah. There's Tara and Chrissie. I've known them for forever.

Link: You're friends with Tara!?

Zelda: Mhm.

Link: *groans* I hope Will doesn't know that...

me: *evil chuckle* Oh, don't worry, he doesn't know a thing. *suspicious smirk*

Link: Something tells me I shouldn't trust you.

me: Oh, why not? I'm completely trustworthy. Anyway, thanks, Beautified Disaster, for asking those questions!

*Beautified Disaster dissapears*

a random voice: Hey! Is that Link and Zelda from your story?

me: Oh no. *turns around* Daniel, get out.

Daniel: No. I wanna ask them some questions!

me: *eye twitch* Fine, but make it quick.

Daniel: Link, can I have your autograph?

Link: Um...sure?

me: That's not a good enough question. Besides, you haven't even read enough of the story to ask one. Now get. Out. Of. My. Room. *pushes towards the door*

Daniel: No! *gets away from my grasp* Zelda, wanna come to my room?

Zelda: Uh..

me: GET OUT! And take your hormones with you. *successfully pushes out and locks door* Sorry about that. Little brother problems. He's like combining Tingle and the postman.

Daniel: *sings from other side of the door* Oh, yes, wait a minute, mister postman!

me: Annoying and intrusive. By the way, if any of yall got that reference, you are now in my book of awesome people. If not...go to youtube and watch WindWaker abridged series by tauberpa. It's hilarious! Anyway, time to continue!

*Darkblaze40 appears magically*

me: Welcome!

Darkblaze40: Link, how come you talk here, but not in any Zelda games?

Link: What are Zelda Games?

me: Here we go. *explains the Legend of Zelda games*

Link: My brain hurts.

me: I know. Now, answer his question, please.

Link: I honestly don't know.

me: Fine, I'll answer for you. I made him talk because I'm the author and I do what I want.

Link: Wasn't that my question, not yours?

me: You didn't have an answer.

Link: But I am perfectly capable of answering my own questions.

me: You do realize your starting to sound like Zelda, right?

Link: No, I don't. How would you know anyway?

me: I'm the freaking author, for the last time!

Link: *crosses arms stubbornly*

Zelda: She does have a point, though.

me: Anyway, thanks, Darkblaze40, for asking a question.

*Darkblaze40 dissapears magically and Nint3ndozzzz appears*

me: Hello! What's your question?

Nint3ndozzzz: Zelda, why are you always acting so tough around Link?

Zelda: *raises an eyebrow* What do you mean, "act tough"?

Link: You know, I'd like to know the answer to that question too. Why do you do that?

me: *smirks* It's 'bout to get interesting.

Zelda: I don't.

Link: Um, yeah, you kind of do. Or must I remind you of those times where you've claimed you would have been fine on your own without my help?

Zelda: I would have been!

Link: Even with the moblins, or the giant skultulla, or the when you almost fell your dea-

Zelda: -Don't mention that again. Besides, you're always trying to act like some kind hero now!

Link: So it's all on me now, is it?

Zelda: I didn't say that.

me: Okay, guys, enough arguing. Now, Zelda, the readers would like to know the answer to that question.

Zelda: I don't act tough.

me: Yes you do. I wrote you that way. And you have the answer to that question.

Zelda: Ugh, fine. I act tough because I need to be for the journey.

Link: Really? Well, you're overdoing it.

Zelda: Whatever.

me: Well, thanks for asking a question, Nint3ndozzzz!

*Nint3ndozzzz dissapears*

me: Now, for the part I've been looking foward to. Bring in the last questioner...person...thingy...yeah!

*alfred pierce appears*

me: Hi!

alfred pierce: Two questions for Link and one for Zelda.

me: Cool.

alfed pierce: LINK! You think after meeting your dad, who has been missing since you were eight, you would have something to say to him? Like, "Hey, dad, this is what your life was like before you dissapeared,".

Link: I did not think of that. Well, maybe next time I see him, I'll talk to him more. Thanks for the idea.

me: And now, for the funniest question! *evil chuckle* Ah, this is gonna be good!

Zelda: Why do I have a bad feeling about this...?

alfred pierce: Link and Zelda, on a scale of one to ten...rate eachother's hotness.

Link and Zelda: *both faces turn a deep red* WHAT?

Link: No.

Zelda: I-I don't think so.

me: Oh, come on. Link first.

Link: Why?

me: Because I said so.

alfred pierce: So, Link, if you didn't know Zelda, how would you rate her on a scale of one to ten? For example...I would be a ten, Robin Williams would be a two.

me: *laughs* I still find that a funny statement.

Link: I...uh...umm...

alfred pierce: And base the rating on looks alone! There's no need to be shallow here.

Link: I don't feel comfortable answering this question.

me: Exactly. Now answer it.

Zelda: Don't answer that question.

me: You're going to have to answer it, too, Zelda. Besides, deep down, I bet know you want to know the answer. Now, Link, answer the question.

Link: But...

me: Just pretend you don't know her.

Link: That's too difficult. She's always there-

me: -In your thoughts, I know.

Link: *face gets redder* What? No, that's not what I was going to say.

Zelda: Oh, for Din's sake, just answer the question so we can get this over with.

me: Told you she wanted to know the answer.

Link: Oh, fine, whatever! Seven.

Zelda: ...Seven?

Link: Seven.

*silence*

Zelda: Okay.

me: Now, your turn, Zelda! And don't even hesitate. You saw, well, stared Link's bare chest.

Zelda: *crosses arms* So? It's his fault he didn't sleep with a shirt on.

Link: It's a habit, sorry. But you shouldn't have stared. Unless...

Zelda: Unless what?

Link: You enjoyed it, didn't you? *smirks*

Zelda: *blushes* No!

me: And so it begins...

Zelda: And so what begins?

me: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Answer the question.

Zelda: *sighs* Eight.

Link: She enjoyed it.

Zelda: I did not!

me: Do I sense denial?

Zelda: No! What is wrong with the both of you!?

Link: I was just making an observation.

me: Now, were the both of you truthful?

Link: *shrugs* I guess.

Zelda: ...Um...yeah.

me: *chuckle* Yep. It definetely begins.

Zelda: What begins!?

me: NOTHING. Nothing at all. Anyway, now the both of you have forgotten this whole ordeal and are now back to where you were. *snaps*

*Link and Zelda dissapear*

me: Oh, that was fun. Just a heads up, I will be doing another character interview again in the near future. It will most likely be when the end of the story is near. So, let me know what you thought of this interview! Thanks to everyone who participated! fun fact, my brother actually told me to put him in the interview and told me what he wanted to say. lol. Now, I need to continue with the actual chapter...oh and I actually haven't written in like a week becaude I had marching band practice and I have been extremely tired...so yep. Sorry about that...

Chapter 14

*Zelda's P.O.V.*

I could hear the cracking of whips as we got closer to the Gorons. I couldn't help but feel more and more angry with each crack I heard. Even though this would definetely be the first time I had ever even seen Gorons, I felt as if they were close friends in desperate need of help.

"So what exactly are we going to do once we get down there?" Link asked.

"I don't know. I guess we could drive away those men. Like...scare them off or something."

Suddenly, a bell sounded from the distance. The men gave a small cheer and left.

I shrugged. "That works, too. I guess that was their break time bell or something. Let's go while they're gone."

We hurried down to where the Gorons were, but when we got down there, they gave us hostile looks.

"What are you doing, humans? Isn't it your precious break time? Why don't you go away with the other scum like you to take your break that isn't needed, considering you don't do anything but push us around," one said harshly.

"No, wait," I started, "We're not with them-"

"-Yeah, sure you're not."

"We're really not," Link argued. "This is actually the first time we've ever seen Gorons."

"So what are you, rookies?" The goron stepped closer to Link. "Here's a lesson for ya, then." He raised up a fist.

"Stop it, Demetrius," a voice sounded. An older goron stepped foward. "These people are not with those workers."

"How are you so sure?" Demetrius asked loudly.

"Look at their ears," the old goron said. "Those two aren't normal humans. They're Hylians."

"Hylians?" Another goron spoke up. "But Gor Dorano, I thought you said they were extinct."

"So I thought as well. Tell me, humans, what brings you all the way here? And what of the Hylian race? If you two exist, what about the rest of your kind?"

"Um...it's kind of a long story," Link started, "but to as of the rest of the Hylians, all of us been living in a village off in the southwest for a few centuries now."

"Hmm...is that so?" Gor Dorano stood up a bit straighter. "Come. I want to hear this long story of yours." He turned around and walked away. Link followed him, and I followed as well.

As we followed the old Goron, I took in the rest of my new surroundings. There were only a few gorons that we passed, and I could tell they weren't doing so good.

We entered a small cave in a rock. Gor Dorano sat down and gestured for us to do as well. I sat down with my legs crossed.

"Before we explain things, may we ask why everyone thinks Hylians are extinct?" I asked.

"That's simple, really. All those years ago, when Hylians were being hunted by that dictator, everyone had thought that he was successful. At least, that story has been passed down for generations. And without any Hylians ever coming up and taking back what was taken from them, we truly believed that story."

"That's probably why the Kakarikans were surprised to see us walking in their streets," Link muttered. "And what about those men? How long have they been here?"

"They're all miners. Only a few years ago, Freja ordered a lot of men from Castle Town to find resources to satisfy the needs of herself. They've taken over the whole of Death Mountain, our home. I have heard rumors about Zora's Domain being taken over as well. So tell me, what are the two of you doing here? Don't you know dangerous?"

"But we made it here, didn't we?" Link retorted. "Those men didn't stop us."

"Those men aren't dangerous. Trust me. They just act tough and are barely able to hurt us. It's the volcano that's dangerous."

"The volcano...?" Link questioned.

"Oh, yeah!" I exclaimed. "Remember that billow of smoke?"

"That billow of smoke just started a few days ago. The volcano could erupt within the next couple of days."

"Wait," I interrupted. "You said those men are barely able to hurt you, right? So how come-"

"The volcano will wipe us all out anyway. We just didn't bother resisting because of that reason."

"So you're just giving up?" I argued.

"What is there to do?" Gor Dorano sighed. "You two shouldn't have come here. Go back home." He stood up.

"No." Link stood up also. "We came here for a reason."

"Then what is this reason? You still haven't told me."

"Do you recall saying that no Hylians have ever shown up to take back what was once rightfully theirs?"

"Are you saying that you two are doing just that?"

I stood up. "Yeah, basically. We need to get inside the volcano."

The goron shook his head. "For a human, that would be suicide. It's way too hot for your bodies to handle. Unless..."

"Unless what?" Link asked.

"There is a way, but I will only allow this on one condition."

"Allow what?"

"For you to use the sacred items to be able to enter the volcano, you have to beat me in a competition popular among us Gorons. Also, tell me why you want to enter the volcano."

Link sighed and nodded. "Might as well tell you, I suppose. A goddess is trapped in there."

"A goddess? Impossible."

"It's very possible," I said. "There was one trapped in the forest. When we freed her, she told us that one was here. If we are able to free the one in the volcano, she might be able to stop the volcano from erupting as well."

"Is that so?" Gor Dorano lifted his head up slightly. "Well, even if you freed one already, I still am going to test you before I allow you to enter safely."

"What kind of test?" Link asked.

"Ever heard of sumo wrestling, boy?"

"Um...I don't think so."

"Sumo wrestling is a sport among us Gorons. There's a ring that it takes place in and the goal is to push your opponent out of it. It's not as simple as it seems either. You can learn more if you choose to accept the challenge. But, only you can accept it. No offense to your lady friend, but it's a mens' sport only."

'Lady friend?' I thought as my eye twitched. 'Not even close.'

"Alright," I glanced at Link as he spoke. "I'll do it."

"Really?" Gor Dorano raised an eyebrow. "Interesting," he muttered. "Very well, then. Since you haven't heard about the sport before, I will give you some time to prepare. Oh, I never learned your names, did I? Nor did I introduce myself...I am Gor Dorano, elder of the Gorons."

"My name is Link."

"And I'm Zelda."

"Link and Zelda, huh? Nice to meet you. Follow me. I will introduce you to our leader. He will teach you the ways of sumo wrestling, and when he believes you are ready, you will face me." Gor Dorano walked out of the small cave. We followed him. When I saw some more Gorons who didn't look well, I hurried up to the old Goron's side.

"Hey, if those men can't hurt you, then how come they don't look like they're feeling well?"

"The rocks they are mining are our favorite rocks. One thing you will learn about us Gorons is that some of us are picky about the rocks we eat. Although we can eat other ones, some choose not to, and therefore, they are paying the price."

"So they're...starving?"

"Slowly, but yes. They've gotten so used to those ones that they refuse to eat any other rocks." He sighed. "Some Gorons just don't listen when us elders tell them to eat other ones besides those."

"Oh." I thought about this as we reached a Goron who was rolled up.

"This is Ibus, the leader of the Goron tribe. Hey, Ibus, wake up," Gor Dorano pounded a fist on the other Goron's back. The other Goron snapped up and let out a groan.

"Dangit, Dorano, I was having a good nap before those scums of men came back from their break." He stood up and stretched his arms. He was a tall Goron, taller than the other ones, at least.

"Hush it, I've got a job for you." Gor Dorano pushed Link foward.

"A human? Why is there a human here?" Ibus asked threateningly.

"Not just any human. Look closer."

Ibus sighed and leaned a bit closer to Link. Link leaned back a little, obviously intimidated by the large Goron's appearence. And for once, I couldn't blame him.

"A Hylian, hmm? Since when do they exist? And how do I know you're not just faking it?" Ibus grabbed Link's ear and gave it a tug. Link let out a yelp.

"Ow! The ears are sensitive, you know?" He snapped.

Ibus smirked and let go of his ear. "Yep, he's a real Hylian, alright. If you were just a regular human, it wouldn't have hurt that bad."

"But was that really necessary? Normal humans don't have long, pointed ears," Link pointed out, holding his hurting ear.

Ibus shrugged. "Those men sometimes talk of a tradition in Castle Town where the people dress up like Hylians for fun. I'm not sure of the details, though. So, those ears could have been fake."

'What kind of tradition is that?' I wondered. 'I want to look into that when I get a chance.'

"Mine are real, and not to mention that one of them is sore and throbbing," Link retorted.

"Eh, get over it. Anyway, Dorano, what did you want me to do?"

Gor Dorano smiled. "This boy here is Link, and you need to teach him sumo wrestling."

"What?" Ibus looked down at Link. "Did you come to Death Mountain for that?"

"No, not exactly, Ibus," the Goron elder shook his head. "You see, he needs to get inside the volcano, but given the fact that he is a human, he won't survive in there for long. So, if he can beat me in a sumo wrestling match, I'll give him the necessary items to be able to withstand the heat."

"But, Dorano, you do realize that humans aren't nowhere near as strong or as heavy as we are. That wouldn't give him a fair match, now would it."

Gor Dorano shrugged and turned away. "Let him use the boots, then," he said while walking away.

"The boots? You mean...?"

"Yes, I mean those ones. Bring him to me when when you believe he is ready." He waved as he walked away.

Ibus sighed. "Alright, you heard the elder. Follow me." He turned and walked away. Link and I followed him to a circular door that Ibus opened with extreme ease. On the other side of the door was a huge cave-like room lit with a lot of torches. Ibus closed the door back.

"This is my home, in case you were wondering," he stated and walked to elevated circular level in the middle of the room.

"And this is a sumo wrestling circle. I do not have time to start teaching you right away, though. I do have to go back out there in a few minutes. Meanwhile, I want you to warm yourself up. Dorano said your name is Link, right?"

Link nodded.

"Well, Link, you better be all warmed up when I get back. It will be a few hours, though, so don't push yourself too much." Ibus walked back to the door. "And miss, what's your name?"

"Zelda," I replied.

"Zelda, make sure he warms up properly. Help him if you have to. Oh, and the two of you, stay inside. I don't want a scene caused if the workers see you." With that, he opened the circular door and left, closing it behind him.

"Well, this certainly is interesting," I muttered.

"It's not what you expected, is it?" Link asked, setting the bag and the rest of his stuff on the floor beside the wall.

"Not really. I had expected them to put up some kind of argument. Though that one Goron did. I was waiting for him to punch you."

"Oh, you would have enjoyed that, wouldn't you?" He muttered with an annoyed tone.

"Yep," I said without thinking twice. "Oh, and you do realize that this whole thing relies on you, right? So don't screw up this sumo wrestling thing, or you'll screw up our chance of getting into the volcano."

"I know, I know." He sat down on the ground and dug through the bag. He pulled out a smaller bag and dug out some dried meat. "I wonder what items that Gor Dorano was talking about," he wondered aloud and took a bite out of the piece of meat.

"I don't know, don't ask me."

"I wasn't. I was just thinking out loud."

I sighed and leaned my back against the wall. I then realized just how hot it was inside here.

"You know, I just realized something," Link said. "Remember when Ibus was saying how Castle Town had that weird tradition of dressing up like Hylians?"

"Mhm."

"I wonder if that's why that man who tried to attack us didn't say anything about out ears being long and pointed."

I shrugged. "Maybe. Speaking of ears, how's yours?" I knew that when the Goron leader pulled on Link's ear, it had to of hurt pretty bad.

"Still sore and throbbing, but not as bad as it was earlier. You would think that something used to discipline children back home wouldn't really be used here outside."

"You never know," I mumbled and sat down. I glanced at his ear. "Your ear is red and a bit swollen, by the way."

"I'm not surprised. He pulled on it pretty hard. And I though Aunt Olah tugged on it hard," he mumbled the last part and bit on the piece of meat. "Oh, did you want some?" He motioned towards the bag of food.

I shook my head. "No, thanks. If I had wanted some, I would've asked already."

Link shrugged. "Suit yourself."

We sat there in silence before I sighed. "It's hot in here."

"It really is." Link put away the food bag and pulled off his hat, tunic, and chainmail.

"What are you doing!?" I exclaimed.

"What does it look like? It's hot."

"But you can keep your clothes on!"

"Oh, hush, I'm keeping my undershirt on. If I remember correctly, this morning, someone took a liking to my bare chest and stared at me." He looked directly at me with a straight face.

I felt my face heat up. "Well, you were being indecent!" I crossed my arms stubbornly.

"But you were the one who ripped the covers off. You didn't have to do that, you know."

"You shouldn't sleep without a shirt on."

"It's a habit. I don't exactly normally have people barging into my room to wake me up in the morning. Plus, it's actually quite comfortable."

"But you're not in your room, so you shouldn't do it."

"Oh whatever. It's not like you didn't enjoy it, anyway," he said with a smirk.

I felt my face heat up even more. "I didn't!"

"Then why did you stare? Not to mention, your face is really red. If that doesn't mean you're denying the truth, then I don't know what does."

I narrowed my eyes. "Ugh. Just start warming up or something," I growled, standing up and turning my back to him.

I heard him chuckle. "Yep, you enjoyed it."

I resisted the urge to slap him as I heard him stand up and walk a bit. 'How dare he accuse me of that!' I thought. I let out a deep sigh as I turned back around and sat down again. Link was walking straight across the room, his back to me, and stretching his arms. Then I noticed that even though he had on his undershirt, it was tight enough to where I could see an outline of some of his muscles. And it also seemed that he was flexing his arms with each stretch.

'Is he doing that on purpose!?' I shouted in my mind. 'He has to know how tight that shirt is.'

Link stopped and spread his legs shoulder-width apart, then reached down to his left ankle. "You know," he started, "I can feel you staring at me." He peeked around his leg and looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "And what were you saying earlier? I have a shirt on this time."

I narrowed my eyes a little, but didn't respond.

"Hmph." He switched to his right ankle. "Well, it's not really polite to stare, so please stop."

I grunted and turned my head to the side. 'So maybe he isn't doing that on purpose,' I thought.

After a few minutes of having my head turned away, I felt a slight cramp in my neck, so I turned my head back to get rid of it. But, before I turned away again, Link caught my eye. He was doing push-ups with his left side facing me. With each push-up, his arms would flex and relax a teensy bit in a steady pattern.

"I sincerely hope you're enjoying the view," Link said with a strange calmness to his voice. "Because that's the third time I've caught you staring at me today. Once this morning, and twice in here."

I snapped out of my gaze and glared at him. "Shut up."

"Well, you must truly enjoy it, because you're not denying it this time," he sighed and stood up, stretching his arms again. This time, he was facing me.

I growled and looked away again. Something was telling me he was really doing that on purpose.

"Well, if it's really that hard to resist, then go right on ahead."

I snapped my head foward and looked at him with a shocked expression. "What!?"

"Yeah, you heard that correctly."

I stood up. "So you WERE doing that on purpose?"

Link relaxed and raised an eyebrow. "Did you really think I was doing that on purpose? Seriously? I was warming up, for Din's sake. What did you expect to see? I wasn't flexing on purpose, that just tends to happen when you use your muscles."

My jaw dropped slightly. "So you weren't...?"

"No. Why would I even do that? I don't like you, or have you forgotten? If I were doing that on purpose, it would be considered flirting, and in all honesty, I don't plan on doing that with you."

I tightened my jaw. "I know that, but then why did you give me permission to stare or whatever, and why is your undershirt so tight? You can see the outline of some of your muscles, or haven't you noticed?"

He rolled his eyes. "You were obviously having difficulty in not staring, and yes, I know my undershirt is tight, but that tunic is too hot to wear in here. At least I have a shirt on."

I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Without saying a word, I turned around and sat down, facing the wall. As much as I hated to admit, Link was right. Including the part about the staring.

I inwardly groaned. 'Why does the one person I don't like have to be attractive?' I thought. My eyes widened. 'Oh, no, I did not just think that!' I shouted in my mind. 'Never think that again.'

*author's note* Yay, I'm done writing this chapter! This chapter was a bit too much fun to write...and sorry for the super long wait, as I said earlier. I had marching band practice all last week. Also, I became obsessed with the fullmetal alchemist brotherhood anime as well. Just finished it today, actually. anyway...oh, by the way, I start school august 26. It's also my senior year this year. So I apologize in advance if I update super slowly. Well, until next time, ¡adios!


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